NBA Rumors: Ranking 10 marquee free agents most likely to sign with new teams

6. D’Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers (unrestricted)

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make with D’Angelo Russell. He’s an unrestricted free agent but may not have much of a market heading into the summer. And with the Lakers possibly exploring potential upgrades to the backcourt, they’re a team that will need to operate very carefully heading into the start of free agency. The last thing they need to happen is to have Rusell move on without giving the Lakers an opportunity to match.

If I had to guess, the Lakers would be fine with Russell moving on as long as they have a contingency plan in place. But that’s far from a guarantee. Maybe they do. Good front offices are generally overly prepared before the start of the offseason, but it’s hard to expect that from a front office that has had its struggles in recent years.

Assuming everything goes to plan for the Lakers over the next few days, I have a feeling Russell could be wearing a new jersey come the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. I’d say there’s a better chance than not that Russell ends up moving on from the Lakers in free agency.

Confidence meter: 55 percent