After months of rumors, it finally happened. The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to land guard D’Angelo Russell. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nets are sending out Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in the deal.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed on a trade sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, sources told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/V175zGtmKW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 29, 2024
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Funny enough, this is the second time the Nets traded for Russell from the Lakers. In 2017, the Lakers traded Russell, along with Timofey Mozgov, to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez and a first-round pick that later became Kyle Kuzma.
The Ohio State alum spent just two seasons with the Nets but made his lone All-Star appearance with the team during the 2018-19 season.
Brooklyn Nets Trade for D’Angelo Russell From the Los Angeles Lakers
D’Angelo Russell’s Season So Far
The 2024-25 season has not been too kind to Russell. Through 29 games, the guard has only started 10 of them. On the year, he is averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Additionally, he is shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. To this point, this is arguably Russell’s worst campaign of his career so far. Now in Brooklyn, however, the 28-year-old will have an opportunity to turn things around.
Earlier this month, the Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. Before the trade, Schroder was having a productive season with the Nets, averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. Assuming Russell will take on a similar role, he can bounce back and remind everyone how talented he is.
Furthermore, Russell is younger and also fits Brooklyn’s timeline better. While the Nets are not as good of a team as the Lakers are, this could prove to be a good move for Russell, who is in the midst of a contract year.
The Last Word
The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith, who was one of the best 3-and-D players available on the market. Many expected the team to move on from him for a year, but it never came to fruition until now. On paper, this is a good acquisition for the Lakers, especially because other teams like the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly pursued him. Furthermore, Finney-Smith is having arguably the best year of his career.
The Lakers have swooped in to top Memphis’ trade offer for Dorian Finney-Smith … with the Nets choosing three second-round picks from L.A. as the prime return for Finney-Smith rather than a heavily protected first-round pick from Memphis. https://t.co/zVkOW21DYO
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 29, 2024
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The Lakers land a versatile, 3-and-D addition with Dorian Finney-Smith, who is shooting a career-high 44% from 3-point land. L.A. also creates salary and luxury tax flexibility, saving $15 million. Nets receive draft capital and clean salaries in return. pic.twitter.com/uyKzvMG6zf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 29, 2024
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These two teams will face one another on January 17 in Los Angeles. Until then, it will be worth monitoring both teams to see how their new acquisitions fare.
The post Brooklyn Nets Reunite With Former Fan Favorite Via Trade appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.