D'Angelo Russell's 1-for-6 shooting night vs Bulls possibly impacted by trade rumors: Reports

D'Angelo Russell is having a roller-coaster season. He went from being a starter for the LA Lakers to becoming LeBron James' backup point guard. One of the main reasons why coach Darvin Ham benched him was due to his oncourt struggles. Russell hasn't been performing the way the Lakers had hoped for when they re-signed him during the offseason.

It appears that one possible reason why Russell hasn't been himself lately is because he could be anxious about being traded away. NBA reporter Dave McMenamin recently suggested that there was an instance when Russell performed poorly due to trade rumors circulating at the time.

McMenamin referred to the time when "D-Lo" shot one-for-six on Dec. 20 against the Chicago Bulls. Given how the Lakers have expressed interest in Zach LaVine, Russell could be a key piece in a potential deal between the two teams.

LaVine is signed to a five-year contract worth $215.15 million, with an average salary of $43.03 million a year. To match his contract, Russell's average salary of $18 million a year will have to be thrown into the deal.

The Lakers could also offer Austin Reaves, but they said previously that they have no interest in sending Reaves away anytime soon. While it's possible that a transaction between Chicago and LA could take place before the deadline, the Bulls might not be willing to take D'Angelo Russell.

Recent reports suggest that Russell's trade value has diminished, which makes him difficult to trade away, so he might stay in LA after all.

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Should the Lakers let go D'Angelo Russell?

LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers

Players like D'Angelo Russell tend to be flaming hot in one game and then get ice-cold in the next. Although he has a clear talent for shooting the ball, he finds it difficult to maintain consistency on offense, which has contributed to the LA Lakers struggling to have a winning record this year.

Despite the Lakers recently snapping their losing streak against the LA Clippers with D'Angelo Russell back in the lineup, he didn't quite perform exceptionally. On his return after missing three straight games, D'Angelo registered 13 points and dished out six assists, solid numbers but not quite efficient. Russell shot 33.3% from the 3-point land and 35.7% overall.

Considering that, it's clear that "D-Lo" is yet to break his cold streak this season. It means that if he continues to perform poorly until the deadline, it's more than likely that the Lakers will trade him to another team.

At the moment, LA needs consistent shooters who can help LeBron James and Anthony Davis on offense and win games as they look to move up the standings.