Despite Sunday's win over Portland, the social media universe was filled with photo after photo and clip after clip of sad, sad Lakers players. Guys who didn't seem to be happy they won.

At the center of the conversation, of course, was D'Angelo Russell.

There was the picture of him "crying" on the bench. The on-court interview with sideline reporter Mike Trudell. His postgame media session, in which he seemed down and introspective after scoring a team-high 34 points. The "it'll be ok, we can still be friends" shoulder rub from Austin Reaves.

Russell is at the core of every discussion about trades. He's the name everyone has assumed would be dealt once the terms of his contract were reported. So it gets to a few big questions:

1. Should the Lakers move him? And for what?
2. Should anyone expect that this stretch of time for him, ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline, would be anything but unpleasant?

The answer to #1 is dependent on the return, and at the very least needs to be done with a full understanding of the skill set that needs to be replaced. #2? No normal athlete with any pride in their craft or their value (Russell has both) would be immune to the pressures of the pre-deadline period.

Nobody needs to weep for D'Lo, but it's also a good idea not to get in the habit of reading into every single still photo or short video clip, especially when ultimately it's done to confirm existing hopes/biases.

But should the Lakers move him for Atlanta's Dejounte Murray, there could be a less-discussed silver lining in it for LA.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Is it a no-brainer to trade D'Angelo Russell?

SEGMENT 2: D'Lo and the "Vibes" police.

SEGMENT 3: The pressures of the deadline get to every player if there name is in the rumors.

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