Lakers Rumors: D’Angelo Russell Trade Talk, Maurice Harkless Buzz and More

The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a long road back to the NBA mountaintop, but a light is starting to appear at the end of the tunnel in terms of getting back into the playoffs. Drafting Brandon Ingram was a major step in that direction.

There are still some decisions for the front office to make this summer, though, both in terms of how aggressively to attack the trade market with the first wave of free agency complete and what type of depth players would best fit the system of new head coach Luke Walton.

With that in mind, let's check out some of the buzz surrounding the team over the past few weeks and analyze what it could mean moving forward.

 

D'Angelo Russell Not Focused on Trade Talk

Russell enjoyed a solid rookie campaign. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 35 percent from three-point range. Last year's second overall pick must still become more comfortable finishing around the rim and leading the offense, but there are promising signs.

The Ohio State product is already becoming no stranger to the rumor mill, however. The most recent example came courtesy of ESPN.com's Marc Stein late last month when he noted the Sacramento Kings were showing interest in the point guard:



Yet Russell explained to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that general manager Mitch Kupchak urged him to ignore the outside noise: "You hear trade talks. Then you get a text from your GM saying he trusts your work ethic and don't worry about it."

It's worth noting the 20-year-old rising star could see his trade value increase during the course of the offseason, though. It's been a weak market in terms of the available point guards, which could get more teams to explore a trade with the Lakers as the dust begins to settle.

Although it's unclear what Los Angeles would seek in return, the one thing it lacks right now is the ...

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