Lakers Trade D'Angelo Russell to Nets in Massive Deal

Ricardo Sandoval | Dec 29, 2024

Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball against against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have made their first trade of possibly a few prior to the 2025 NBA trade deadline. 

The Lakers have traded away point guard D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. 

ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news on X. 

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

The Lakers are getting back one of the best two-way players on the trading block. They get the player they need to bolster their roster and are now one good trade away from truly competing against the elite teams in the league. 

The Lakers desperately needed to make a trade of the caliber of Finney-Smith, and they did so without giving up two of their first-round picks. Los Angeles and general manager Rob Pelinka still have that to play with, and the rumors of them being aggressive in this trade deadline appear to be true.

The Lakers get back a reliable player on both sides of the ball. Finney-Smith is having one solid year. In 20 games with the Nets, he is averaging 10.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 43 percent from three in 29.0 minutes of action. 

His latest outing wasn't pretty, as he only scored two points in 27 minutes; however, he has shot 48 percent from three in his last 10 contests. 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers swooped in to top the Memphis Grizzlies trade offer for Finney-Smith. The Nets instead chose three second-round picks from L.A. as the prime return for Finney-Smith rather than a heavily protected first-round pick from Memphis.

On Saturday, Stein reported that the Nets and Grizzlies were in 'active discussions' on a trade involving Finney-Smith. The word was that Brooklyn would send Finney-Smith and a second-round pick to Memphis in exchange for John Konchar and Luke Kennard in the discussed deal. 

However, that deal didn't go through, and the Lakers jumped at the chance to grab Finney-Smith. However, the Lakers didn't stop there; they will also add Milton to the roster. 

Milton is also having a solid year with the Nets, averaging 7.4 points per game, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from three in 27 games and 18.2 minutes of action. 

The Lakers have traded away Russell for the second time, and while he was available for L.A. during the regular season, he could never replicate that success when it mattered the most. 

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