D-Lo to the Raptors? NBA free agent D'Angelo Russell spotted hooping in Toronto
The Toronto Raptors have their own free agents to worry about, but at least one notable NBA name is stirring up some rumours by his recent whereabouts.
Point guard D’Angelo Russell, who is set to be a free agent this summer, was spotted hooping in Toronto this week at the University of Toronto’s Summer League.
NBA star D’Angelo Russell @Dloading came to U of T Summer League this week and got BUCKETS‼️💫
WE ALL #BLEEDBLUE | #WeAreTO pic.twitter.com/SzdginWmNX
— Varsity Blues Basketball (@Blues_Hoops) June 24, 2023
Russell, who averaged 17.8 points, 6.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 71 games this season, split his time in between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.
After starting his career with the Lakers before moving to Brooklyn, he was sent back to Los Angeles in February as part of a three-team trade centred around Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers subsequently advanced to the Western Conference Finals after a disappointing start to the season. Russell himself, though, didn’t exactly have the best end to the postseason, as he put up just 25 points total in a four-game sweep against the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
The second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Russell is coming off of a four-year, $117 million contract that he originally signed with Minnesota.
Though it’s possible that Russell has an interest in joining the Raptors, it seems like they’re focused on trying to bring back their incumbent starter.
According to NBA insider Matt Moore of Action Network, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet is expecting a “big money offer” from the Raptors to keep him this summer.
For fun, let’s throw the idea of a VanVleet for Russell sign-and-trade out into the world, although who knows if such a thing would ever actually come to fruition.
After eight seasons in the NBA, it’s anyone’s best guess where Russell plays next season.
But we’ve at least got an idea of how he’s spending his offseason.