The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets have kicked off NBA trade season by agreeing to a trade centered around D’Angelo Russell, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The former All-Star guard will return to the Brooklyn Nets, whom he played for in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
Full trade details:
Lakers Get: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton
Nets Get: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, 3 second-round picks
Lakers Outlook:
Father Time is undefeated, but the Lakers continue to hope for another run centered around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. D’Angelo Russell has consistently heard his name brought up in trade rumors and the need for a three-and-D wing outweighed the production he brought to this Lakers roster. Russell had been reduced to mostly a bench role this season and had started 10 of the 29 games this season. Across the 26.3 minutes per game he has averaged, Russell has produced 12.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting just 33.3% from beyond the three-point arc.
Dorian Finney-Smith will be the biggest prize of the deal, as he is one of the more true 3-and-D wings that were available. He has a playoff-proven track record dating back to his time with the Dallas Mavericks and has been solid this season for the Nets. Across the 20 games he has played, DFS is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists and has shot 43.5% from beyond the three-point arc and attempted 5.4 perimeter shots per game. The 31-year-old will embrace a low-usage role for the Lakers where he will be expected to match up with opposing wings and knock down corner three-point attempts.
Shake Milton is also an intriguing reclamation project that could provide a spark off the bench. The former second-round pick had carved out a nice role for himself in Philadelphia across his first five seasons playing for the Sixers. He had seen his role climb as high as the sixth man for the team for stretches but has bounced around with the Timberwolves, Pistons and Knicks since the end of the 2022-23 season. At his best, he can catch fire from beyond the arc and is a capable creator off the dribble, but he has not consistently played at a high level in a few years.
It should also be considered a win from the Lakers that they were able to produce a shakeup without giving up one of their few available first-round picks. The future seems more uncertain than ever for the Lakers and they will keep all options open moving forward while still improving their chances for this season.
Currently, the Lakers hold a record of 18-13, which keeps them at fifth place in a loaded Western Conference. Despite this, Los Angeles holds +3500 odds of winning the NBA Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook, tied for the 11th-best odds in the league. They also hold the seventh-best odds of winning the Western Conference at +1700 odds.
Nets Outlook:
The outlook for the Brooklyn Nets is a bit simpler. The organization is in the midst of a rebuild and has overperformed to start the season, which they are attempting to correct. Brooklyn made a telling trade shortly before the season with the Houston Rockets, which gave them possession of their own first-round picks back. With a strong draft class, a new head coach and no true foundational pieces on the Nets roster, this season was about chasing the pathway to a star more than it has been about winning games.
Despite this mindset, the Nets have gotten off to a 12-19 start and are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. While this is not overly impressive in its own right, these are more wins than they hoped based on the position they put themselves in. The first correction was made by trading Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. Dorian Finney-Smith now joins the list of players who have been freed to attempt to help a team in the playoffs and Cameron Johnson will be the next notable name to watch.
The prize of this trade for the Nets will be the three second-round picks acquired. While second-rounders are sometimes a long shot, it provides a pathway to adding a player on a cost-controlled contract that benefits the team in a major way. Hitting on an impact player in the second round is one of the more impactful moves a team can make and the Nets will have three new chances at achieving this. These selections have become increasingly valuable following the new CBA.
Don’t expect the trade chatter to stop for either of these teams as the Lakers attempt to increase their chances of success while the Nets do the exact opposite. It also should not be considered a lock that D’Angelo Russell suits up for the Nets as his contract was more of a factor in him being dealt than the Nets desiring him as a player. Expect a buyout to at least be discussed in the coming days between the two sides.
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