SANTA MONICA, Calif. — D’Angelo Russell lasted as the youthful face of the Lakers for just shy of 24 months. Then, the legendary point guard he was compared to as a teenager took over the team’s basketball operations, questioned Russell’s ability as a leader and abruptly traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary-cap-clearing move.
Now Russell is an All-Star, and he will enter restricted free agency on Sunday at the same time that, in a pretzel of fate and irony, the Lakers have enough cap space to afford him. There have been reports that both sides could be interested in what would be one of the NBA’s most unexpected reunions.
While such a second marriage has perhaps gained recent support among fans, here’s another name to add to the list of those in favor: Earvin Johnson.
Yes, Magic. The very man who deemed Russell unfit for the Lakers would welcome a return.
“He’s better now,” Johnson told The Athletic on Monday night, tapping…
