The rumor mill surrounding D’Angelo Russell has been turning for well over a year now. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers finally made their move, trading the 28-year-old point guard along with Maxwell Lewis and draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. It marks the second time that the Lakers have traded Russell away, and he’ll rejoin a team that he spent some of his best years with.
Lakers Trade D’Angelo Russell For The Second Time
Originally drafted by the Lakers in 2015, Russell spent the first two years of his career in Los Angeles, before being traded to the Nets in the Brook Lopez/Kyle Kuzma deal. In the 129 games that he played in Brooklyn between 2017 and 2019, he averaged 19 points and 6.3 assists per game, and made his lone All-Star appearance in 2018-19.
He has been well traveled since, as Russell has bounced from the Warriors to the Timberwolves and back to the Lakers in the time since. Each of his team changes over the years have come via trade, having been involved in some of the more notable transactions in recent memory.
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
His time with the Nets will likely be short. Brooklyn is 12-19 on the year and are presumably in sell-now mode, and taking on D’Angelo Russell means that they’ll be acquiring an expiring contract. His deal is up after the 2024-25 season, and it is likely that he’ll hit free agency for the first time during the coming off-season.
Russell is currently averaging his lowest scoring total of his career. His 12.4 points per game is a lower figure than even his rookie season, though his minutes are down slightly from what he is used to seeing.
For the Lakers, the trade adds some needed firepower for their playoff chase. Finney-Smith fills a need at the wing positions, giving Los Angeles a legit three-point threat that can stretch out defenses. He is shooting the long ball at the best clip of his career, making 43.5% on 5.4 attempts per game. Only 21 players in the NBA currently have a better average.
