For the second time in his NBA career, D’Angelo Russell has been traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets.
The trade, initially reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, sends Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
Russell, 28, started his career with the Purple and Gold when he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. After a nice start, his production stalled and behind-the-scenes issues led to the Lakers trading him to Brooklyn in 2017.
He was named an All-Star in 2019 with Brooklyn, before being traded to the Golden State Warriors that same year. After just one season in San Francisco, he was again traded, this time to the Minnesota Timberwolves; he subsequently rejoined the LeBron James-led Lakers in a mid-season trade from Minnesota in 2023.
Russell struggled this season for the Lakers, shooting just 41% and averaging 12.5 points in 26 minutes per game.
He’ll now rejoin the Nets, who are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at 12-19.
The Lakers will receive some much needed size in the trade in the form of 6-foot-7 Finney-Smith. In his nine-year career, Finney-Smith has developed a reputation of being a solid defender and three-point shooter.
The 31-year-old spent six-full seasons with the Dallas Mavericks before heading to Brooklyn in the trade that landed Kyrie Irving in Dallas.
