D'Angelo Russell moved from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets last year, but he seems to be taking all the changes in stride. Talking to The Athletic, he spoke at length about the last year of his career, and from the sounds of the things he's ultimately very happy with the trade.
"I'm in the greatest place ever, honestly," Russell said. "Like you said, motivation, I see my best friend [Devin Booker] sign a max deal. I know where we came from, so that's plenty motivation that I need. I wake up every morning and go to train, and I feel like I'm in the best shape. I don't know. The sky is the limit."
It's definitely starting to seem like he's hoping for an extension with the team come contract year, explaining, "I just want to play, to be honest. That's really been my main focus. Staying healthy and finishing the season on a positive note. As a team, there's a lot that we can really work on. Those have really been outweighing my thoughts on an extension and all of that."
In the past year or so he's been with the Nets, Russell has proved to be a valuable asset to team. "A lot of guys take advantage of their opportunity after they get traded or after they get drafted somewhere and go to another place," Russell told Marc Spears earlier this year. "That is where people remember them from. I want to build my legacy here. I got drafted to L.A., but I don't want people to remember me from [The Lakers]."
Of course, his renewed passion and performance could all boil down to Lil B lifting him from the BasedGod curse, but who's really to say?
