The Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets are reportedly open to acquiring Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell.
The Lakers have had a quiet offseason and could still look to trade Russell this summer.
According to NBA insider Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, he linked Russell to both the Raptors and Nets:
“Toronto and Brooklyn are more open to acquiring the nine-year veteran, but more for his expiring contract than for what he’d do on the court. Russell is that rare player who is both too good to help teams tank but also not an impact player in the postseason. He’ll turn 29 in February, so he likely is who he is at this point. Add to that some questions about his impact on locker rooms and the market on the most moveable expiring contract the Lakers have at their disposal just hasn’t been great.”
The Raptors trading for Russell at this point wouldn’t make sense unless they feel like they could leverage his expiring contract.
Toronto does have an open starting lineup spot but that will likely go to Bruce Brown or Gradey Dick.
The Raptors could in theory trade Brown for Russell, but again it wouldn’t make much sense for Toronto as they reportedly wanted a first-round pick for Brown at least season’s trade deadline.
It seems likely that Russell will remain on the Lakers roster to begin this season, but he could be a name worth monitoring again around the trade deadline.
Former Raptors forward Jordan Nwora signs new deal in Europe
Former Toronto Raptors forward Jordan Nwora is heading to Turkey to play for Anadolu Efes following four seasons in the NBA.
Nwora signed a multi-year deal, Anadolu Efes announced. This will mark Nwora’s first time playing overseas.
Toronto acquired Nwora from the Indiana Pacers as part of the Pascal Siakam trade last season.
The 25-year-old played in 34 games for Toronto. He averaged 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 34.7 percent from three-point range. He had some good moments for the Raptors and displayed his ability to hit shots, but he was a poor decision maker and wasn’t good enough defensively to stay in the rotation.
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