D'Angelo Russell May Be Headed Out Of LA After He Was On The Bench Fighting Back Tears In The Lakers Win Last Night

There's a saying out there somewhere that you can't start your week off with a good old crying session or you've already ruined the next 7 days. I'm on that boat after watching this clip of D'Lo last night and I've wanted him traded all season. The Lakers don't have a D'Angelo Russell problem, they have an entire team problem. We suck, from everyone that isn't Anthony Davis and LeBron to Darvin Ham. Something's gotta give before we become a meme for winning the in-season tournament (it's a real championship, cry about it) and end up missing the playoffs. It feels like we've been destined for the play-in all season, so nothing should be off the table, but it did tug on the heart strings a bit seeing him fighting back tears in a 20 point win that he dropped great numbers in:

After the game in a weird way it seemed like he was saying goodbye? 

This probably doesn't mean we're going to see a Shams bomb today that he's gone, or maybe even at all. D'Lo has been a stoic player forever, and he could just be appreciating the fact that he gets to suit up for the best franchise in basketball. Putting on that Laker jersey probably means a lot more to a guy who got drafted by them second overall during a tumultuous rebuild in 2015, didn't work out, and found his way around several other teams before getting to play with 2 of the game's greats and a second chance in Purple and Gold. I feel like Greenie when typing like this, but context matters when you're playing for a storied team and city like this one. 

D'Angelo has been playing lights out over the last 5 games but a wiser man might tell you that's just increasing his trade value:

D'Angelo or not, rumors are Dejounte Murray and Bruce Brown are top targets for the Lakers before the deadline in a few weeks. Do I like those moves? Anything feels like an improvement at this point, and if that comes at the cost of losing an incredibly likable guy on the roster like D'Lo then so be it. Make some trades and get a new coach and let's go win two banners in a single season.