D'Angelo Russell slapped with hefty punishment after Game 5 antics

05/05/2024 02:45

It’s been almost a week since the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, and the fallout is still ongoing. The Lakers announced on Friday that they had fired head coach Darvin Ham as well as the rest of the coaching staff. And then on Saturday it was announced by the league that Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell was hit with a $25,000 fine after saying something to the refs immediately following Game 5.

According the memo sent out by the NBA, D’Angelo Russell’s fine was in response to “verbally abusing a game official.” The memo also stated that it occurred on the court as soon as the game had ended and the Lakers were eliminated.

It wasn’t the first time in the series that Russell had words for the officiating. During the Lakers Game 2 loss, Russell was seemingly hit in the head my Michael Porter Jr. while attempting a layup. The Nuggets challenged the call and it was overturned by the officials. Following the game, Russell took to social media to affirm his belief that it was a foul and that the entire world saw it on national TV.

The officiating was a major talking point for the Lakers following that Game 2 loss with LeBron James and Darvin Ham also chiming in regarding calls or lack thereof. James went so far as to criticize the NBA’s replay center.

D’Angelo Russell’s future with the Lakers could be in doubt

This offseason, D’Angelo Russell can choose to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent. Should he decline the option, the market for his services likely won’t be at the dollar amount his player option is at. And if he becomes a free agent, it’s uncertain whether or not the Lakers would have interest in re-signing him.

Russell hit free agency during the 2023 offseason and ended up re-signing with the Lakers on a two-year contract despite his struggles in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Those struggles carried over to this year’s postseason as he failed to show consistency against the Nuggets in the first round.

Russell’s name came up in trade rumors at the NBA Trade Deadline but the Lakers ultimately decided to hang on to him. He had a strong second half of the season but couldn’t carry that momentum into the playoffs. If he does pick up his contract option, he could see himself on the trading block in the offseason.

During the Lakers first round loss to the Nuggets, Russell averaged 14.2 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists put shot only 38.4 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from the three point line and 50 percent from the free throw line. Compare that to the regular season when he put up 18.0 points per game and shot a career high 41.5 percent from the three point line.

There’s no doubt that Russell is a good regular season player and has helped the Lakers get a few wins. But the Lakers need him to show that same consistency in the playoffs and so far that has not happened.

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