A D'Angelo Russell 3-Team Trade to Help L.A. Lakers Retool, Sign Markelle Fultz (2024)

The Los Angeles Lakers have been idle throughout most of the offseason. The team hasn't signed anyone to standard NBA contracts outside of drafting Dalton Knecht (No. 17) and Bronny James (No. 55).

With a full roster of 15 players and a payroll under the second apron ($188.9 million) by about $45,000, the Lakers have been stymied by the new rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

The only way the team can add is to subtract. And the one player L.A. seems most willing to part with is guard D'Angelo Russell.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets have collected enough talented players that the goal shouldn't be bottoming out completely but allowing players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams and rookie Tidjane Salaun (No. 6) to build winning habits.

Add the Utah Jazz to opportunistically facilitate a deal, and a multi-team trade could help all parties. The Lakers don't add a third star, but they get necessary depth, including the means to sign free-agent guard Markelle Fultz. The Hornets improve now and, along with the Jazz, add draft capital and an experienced point guard in Vasilije Micić.

Lakers get:

Hornets get:

Jazz get:

Note: The Lakers' protection in 2031 would be negotiable, but pencil it in as top-five protected; otherwise, it conveys as a 2031 second-rounder.

In hiring JJ Redick to coach the roster, the Lakers stressed the importance of player development. The team needs to get younger and, frankly, cheaper with the new rules. Instead of chasing a 30-year-old veteran on a heavy, multi-year deal like Jerami Grant, L.A. breaks Russell's contract into parts.

Mann, 23, was the No. 18 pick in 2021 and is a more-ready point guard prospect than Hood-Schifino. He's due an extension this summer, or the Lakers can wait for restricted free agency in 2025. Richards, 26, is a legit 7'0" center earning $10 million over the next two seasons (his second is non-guaranteed).

The Lakers thinned out some of the roster glut, sending out four players for two. With the salary reduction, the team should be able to give Fultz, the best available free-agent point guard, a $5.2 million starting salary via the taxpayer mid-level exception. Fultz, the No. 1 pick in 2017, is a poor outside shooter but can create pressure on the rim off the dribble.

Fixing the 2024-25 Lakers in one trade is improbable. The Lakers lose shooting with Russell, but he struggled to bring that consistently in the postseason. Instead, the team adds depth at the point, size in Richards and the financial/roster flexibility to bring in an additional player (be it at the minimum or up to $13.7 million via the Russell trade exception).

The cost to improve during the LeBron James/Anthony Davis window is a distant first-rounder with light protection.

Tanking for Duke's Cooper Flagg is a path, but the bottom three teams will only have a 14 percent chance each at the No. 1 pick in 2025. After a terrible 2023-24 season, the Hornets still finished tied for third worst with the Portland Trail Blazers at 21 wins apiece—and lottery luck dropped them to No. 6. That's with Ball playing in just 22 games, primarily with a broken ankle.

That's not to say the Hornets should make a playoff push, as the franchise has lottery protection on its 2025 first-round obligation to the San Antonio Spurs. But with Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, Josh Green, Ball, Miller and now Russell, the Hornets should be able to take a step forward through the 2024-25 campaign.

Instead of reinvesting in Mann, the Hornets add the best player in the deal. Russell shot 41.5 percent from three-point range last year with the Lakers while averaging 18.0 points and 6.3 assists. Sharing the backcourt with Ball should give the Hornets a dynamic offense (and admittedly porous defense). The commitment to Russell on an expiring contract is short, but he could be a player the team chooses to keep for the next two to three seasons.

Charlotte also gets a look at Hood-Schifino, drafted last year at No. 17, along with a couple of minimum players in Reddish and Wood—the latter could replace Richards as the backup center. Additionally, the Hornets get a 2025 first-rounder, which projects to be around No. 20 (based on last year's standings).

Adding a veteran like Micić could temporarily fill a need in Utah (even if he only has one year of NBA experience). The Serbian point guard almost helped his country upset Team USA on Thursday in Paris.

But the Jazz aren't hopping in the deal for Micić. Assuming Utah finishes with a top-10 selection (otherwise, it'll go to the Oklahoma City Thunder), it will have three firsts in 2025. It's difficult for any team to develop that many young players at once, including recently drafted players like Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier.

Instead, Utah gives up the middle pick—which doesn't project to be in the lottery, given the recent success of the Timberwolves and Cavaliers. In return, the Jazz get to speculate a bit with the Lakers' first in 2031, long after James and Davis are expected to be with L.A.

It's a minor deal for the Jazz but an opportunistic one, taking advantage of the Lakers' current roster immobility.