Nets guard D’Angelo Russell was busted Wednesday night trying to sneak marijuana through LaGuardia Airport hidden in a secret compartment inside an iced tea can, officials said.
Russell, 23, was headed to his hometown of Louisville, Ky., when airport workers found the weed during a routine search. Investigators found a can of Arizona Iced Tea with a secret compartment inside containing the drugs.
“We got a call from TSA about D’Angelo’s bag for allegedly marijuana. PAPD units responded, and they issued him a summons,” a Port Authority spokesperson told The Post. “He was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams.”
The marijuana bust comes at a poor time for the 23-year-old Russell, who is heading into free agency, though it’s not likely to affect his career with the Nets or his big payday this summer.
“We have been made aware of the situation involving D’Angelo Russell and are in the process of gathering more information at this time,” the Nets said in a statement.
After averaging 21.1 points and 7.0 assists this season, the Nets could make Russell a restricted free agent by tendering him a qualifying offer — one that would come with a $21 million cap hold.
Sources have told The Post that Russell was looking to get as close as possible to the maximum, which would start at $27 million. ESPN reported Thursday the Nets are expected to try to hammer out a deal with Russell before he even hits the marketplace on July 1.
The NBA did not comment Thursday about the bust, but previous cases showed Russell might be penalized.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, any player that “has been convicted of [including a plea of guilty, no contest or nolo contendere to] the use or possession of marijuana in violation of the law” has to go into the NBA’s marijuana program.
A player would get suspended after a third violation of the marijuana policy.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in December he was open to the league possibly changing its policy on marijuana — adding that players use the drug to deal with the stress and anxiety of playing on the big stage.
“I understand that for some players … that marijuana is a way of dealing with those issues,” Silver told Bleacher Report.
“It’s a question: If we ban marijuana, what they’ll then otherwise use? I’ve had players tell me, ‘I don’t smoke marijuana … because you guys drug test and it’s banned and I accept that. So instead, I was written a prescription by a team doctor for an anti-anxiety medication, and that medication makes me uncomfortable.’
“And I recognize that that medication may be worse for the player than smoking marijuana — even if marijuana isn’t great for you. And I also recognize that if they don’t want anti-anxiety medication and they can’t smoke marijuana, they may drink more — which is perfectly legal. … And that might be much worse for them.”