D’Angelo Russell‘s Controversial Statement After Lakers Elimination

After an incredibly close five games, the Denver Nuggets officially eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 after another Jamal Murray game-winner. Immediately after the game, came some incredibly hard questions for everyone on the Lakers.

One of the first big questions is whether or not D'Angelo Russell would return to the team. In Russell's eyes, he believes he has some major leverage heading into his player option next season.

D'Angelo Russell has an $18.7 million player option that he can choose to opt into next season, but based on the sounds of his postgame comments, he's likely going to ask for more money from the Lakers.

"When I signed my contract last year I knew what position I was going to put myself in," Russell said after the elimination. "So to be in that position now, with a little leverage, going to try to take advantage of it."

In the regular season, D'Angelo Russell averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on 46/42/83 shooting from the field. During the playoffs, he averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on 38/32/50 shooting from the field. Outside of a solid Game 2 and Game 4, Russell's playoff numbers were a significant decrease from his regular season numbers.

While Russell's statement likely won't make Lakers fans happy to hear, it could potentially be a blessing in disguise for the team. If the Lakers don't pay him the money that he wants, someone else will certainly pay for that level of regular season contribution.

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