The Athletic’s John Hollinger, a former NBA front office executive, highlighted a concern that D’Angelo Russell‘s return could throw a kink in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ strategy to chase a third star this summer.

“Originally thought to be the Lakers’ most tradeable 2024 offseason contract, Russell has been so good lately that the script has flipped—ffrom worries at the trade deadline that no other team would want his deal to new concern that he could opt out of his $18.6 million for next season and walk as an unrestricted free agent,” Hollinger wrote on March 11.

Russell has a $18.6 million player option for next season. But his recent play implies he’s outplaying that. And if he walks away, the Lakers will lose a salary ballast in a hypothetical star trade that Rob Pelinka openly mentioned when they remained pat at the trade deadline.

“The right move wasn’t there, and it’s a thoughtful and tricky calculus at times. We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very minimal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more consequential movement perhaps in June and July,” Pelinka told reporters after the February 8 trade deadline.

According to an ESPN story on January 23, the Lakers have talked internally about the prospect of pursuing a bona fide star, such as Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell or Atlanta’s Trae Young, should they become available.

“Russell is their only expiring 2025 contract of any significance, and his opting out would leave them at a disadvantage in any trade discussions. As far as options go, Austin Reaves has trade value, but L.A. would be trying to piece together the balance of a salary match with less desired agreements like that of Gabe Vincent or Rui Hachimura,” Hollinger wrote. According to Hollinger, the Lakers could sign and trade Russell, but there’s a condition.

“The timing of free agency a week after that draft makes it difficult to coordinate while including a 2024 first-rounder. Re-signing him to a more expensive long-term deal is another option, but that endpoint probably means running it back with the same team,” Hollinger wrote.

Russell’s resurgence has become one of the best redemption tales this season. Since returning to the Lakers starting lineup after a brief shift to the bench, Russell is averaging 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 26 games while shooting an amazing 45.7% from deep.

He established his significance to the Lakers once again when he punctuated a season-high 44-point performance with the game-winning floater against the Milwaukee Bucks without LeBron James and a hobbling Anthony Davis on March 8.

Gabe Vincent, the Lakers’ best free-agent acquisition, is on schedule to return later this month. Lakers coach Darvin Ham informed reporters, per LA Times’ Dan Woike, on Tuesday, March 12, that the veteran point guard has been cleared for non-contact practice.

The 27-year-old point guard has appeared in five Lakers games this season so far, averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. He signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Lakers last offseason.