Live Bar, June 17 News the Lakers accompanying reporter Buha wrote today about the renewal of the team.
Buha wrote that considering Russell’s unstable performance in the playoffs and his less interest in the league, the Lakers gained the upper hand in the contract negotiations with Russell.
Sources said that the Lakers had already discussed a framework to leave Russell (including or excluding options) with a two-year contract, which not only could give Russell the salary he wanted, it can also keep Russell’s contract consistent with James’s contract timeline.
Buha said that the Lakers did not want to lose Russell for no reason. The Lakers prefer to sign Russell before seeking to trade a good player during the offseason, or are more likely to re-sign Russell and try to trade Russell to get a better player next season.