D'Angelo Russell's Hatred of Teammate Paved Way for Trade to LA

It now seems as though another professional relationship gone sour with the former All-Star was a primary factor in the Lakers obtaining him once again. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic hopped on Dan Barreiro's "Bumper to Bumper" radio show and revealed that Russell no longer wanted to play with Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, Rudy Gobert.

"There was this perception that D'Angelo Russell was very frustrated with Gobert," said Krawczynski. "He did not seem as open to working with him this season."

Krawcznski would continue by saying that despite efforts to make it work, Russell grew tired of the big man's offensive limitations. He described the situation as Russell wearing his ill feelings towards Gobert "on his sleeve" or making them very obvious.

"He didn't hide his displeasure from teammates or opponents, who heard him lamenting Gobert's offensive shortcomings during games," said Krawcznski. "The lack of fluidity frustrated Russell."

In this case, Russell lost respect for Gobert as time went on and it was mostly due to his play. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has seen a major drop in production this season and that affected Russell, who was the team's main ball-handler. Russell is also in the last year of his contract so he is looking to prove his worth at all costs.

Luckily for Laker fans, Anthony Davis has a much more polished offensive game than Gobert so there should be no issues on that end. Russell will also be joining two players in his dream starting 5 in Davis and LeBron James.

Reports state that Russell can suit up for the Lakers as early as Saturday against the Warriors.