Lakers star D’Angelo Russell has been brought into the limelight for his actions in the Lakers’ slim victory over the Toronto Raptors. A video shared on Twitter brought to light the fierce interaction between the Lakers guard and former Lakers player Dennis Schroder. The battle between the two stars became personal as they had verbal spats against each other throughout the game.
The Lakers won the fixture 132-131 in a game that saw a vast free-throw discrepancy, which was followed by Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic’s furious outburst regarding the game’s biased officiating.
Leaked audio reveals D’Angelo Russell’s trash-talking spat with Schroder
D’Angelo Russell’s recent verbal altercation with Dennis Schroder was shared in a video on Twitter. The star, who is known for his flamboyant celebrations and reactions, got into an altercation filled with foul language and did not back down in his reactions or words to Schroder.
In the video shared, the interaction between the two started after D’Lo hit Schroder with the “too small’ gesture following a basket, which was also called a foul on Schroder. Instigated by Russell’s antics, Schroder reacted by yelling “weak a– n—a.”
Angered by Schroder’s reaction, Russell summoned Schroder in a sense of asking him to do something about the gesture the Lakers star made.
The spat prolonged after the two stars met again when the roles were reversed; the foul was called on Russell. D’Lo then confronted Russell, saying, “That sh-t is weak. Stop doing that weak a– sh-t.”
That was the end of the duo’s interaction, which was quickly put to an end by the game officials, who did not desire any unwanted incidents under their observance.
The Lakers’ victory against the Raptors was completely overshadowed by Raptors HC Rajakovic’s post-game rant, where the coach complained about the ignorance of referees towards his side. The game saw a lopsided amount of free throws given to the Lakers, while the Raptors barely received any free throws to their name.
As the Lakers’ abysmal season continues, D’Angelo Russell’s trade stock has skyrocketed completely downward.
D’Angelo Russell reportedly losing trade value
D’Angelo Russell’s inconsistent performances for the Lakers have been a cause for concern throughout the season. While he hasn’t been the best version of himself, it seems to appear that the Lakers won’t be able to use him much in the hunt for better stars.
Even though D’Lo has been reputed for his ability to smoothly wade through harsh defenses, the player’s lack of consistency in terms of shooting has led to him being out of the Lakers’ starting 5. While he’s an average player, one can argue that he is not essentially Purple and Gold material. Needless to say, it pretty certain that a player is very replaceable if he underperforms, especially in a team led by Lebron James, who demands a lot from his players.
However, the Lakers find themselves in a tough spot where they won’t be able to move the star because there is no want or need from any team for the star. Leaving his expensive contract aside, the current form of Russell will fetch pennies for the team.
According to senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer, there is not much interest in D’Lo.
“And if you do wanna look at potential trade scenarios, the strategy of re-signing D’Angelo Russell to a theoretical, tradable salary at $20 million, I’m not seeing — and not hearing from my calls around the league — a ton of interest in that trade chip coming back,” Jake Fischer said.
It is uncertain what the Lakers plan on doing with Russell. The only certainty is that the Lakers need to make necessary changes to their roster if they want to compete for the NBA championship. On the roster, the known precedent is that everyone is tradeable except for the trio of Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, who have been the only vantage points for the Lakers this season.
What are your thoughts on D’Lo’s form with the Lakers? Who should the Lakers trade to build a better roster? Should the Lakers take the gamble of trading Reaves? We are eager to know what you think of this situation so feel free to comment below.
