D’Angelo Russell will be a restricted free agent this summer, and says he wants to remain in Brooklyn.
The 23-year-old NBA All-Star, however, knows his future with the Nets isn’t entirely in his hands.
Russell wasn’t offered a contract extension prior to the season—he’s in line for a massive raise from his $7 million annual salary—and responded with a career year that carried the team back to the playoffs.
Per The NY Post:
“Yeah. Hell yeah, I definitely want to be here,” Russell said. “But I also know it’s a business, too. So I’m not going to play that role like I don’t know what could possibly happen.
“Say somebody comes here that I have to be a part of [a move] to get them, I know that could be a possibly. So I just want to stay in this moment and not speak too soon about anything.”
That move could be creating cap room for the likes of Kevin Durant, or opening a starting spot for New Jersey native and childhood Nets fan Kyrie Irving. Or Russell could just want a max deal the Nets are unwilling to give. Whatever the case, his return isn’t etched in stone.
“You turn on ESPN, you’re going to see the craziest things go across that ticker,” Russell said. “That lets you know that it’s forever a business. It is what it is.”
Related THE NOTORIOUS D-LO: D’Angelo Russell Is Built for This
