The Los Angeles Lakers made an early trade this season, pouncing on Dorian Finney-Smith last week to ensure the Brooklyn Nets don’t wind up trading him to the Memphis Grizzlies or any other Western Conference rival.
After getting back D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks in the deal, Nets GM Sean Marks insisted Lakers GM Rob Pelinka gets credit for getting the deal over the line with urgency.
“This [particular trade came about very quickly. We were obviously having discussions with multiple teams as teams do in this part of the year. So, that’s not out of the ordinary. The deal with the Lakers took about half a day. Maybe 12 hours from start to finish. Give Rob and the Lakers a lot of credit for coming to the table.”
“This particular trade gives us what we need long-term sustainable success. That’s what we want to get to and how we’re going to do that is through these future draft picks and assets that we get.”
"Give Rob and the Lakers a lot of credit for coming to the table."
– Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks on the Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton Trade to Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/7hmxRqbZqv
— 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙗𝙝 ⁶𓅓 (@OVOLakeShow) January 3, 2025
This deal looks to have been a solid one for both teams. Finney-Smith’s scoring has suffered in the early goings of his Lakers tenure, averaging 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in two games.
It’s hard to dispute his value as a connective offensive player and intelligent defender because of a slow start. The shot will start to fall and the Lakers will be better off with his skill set than what D’Lo was bringing this season.
Russell is happy to be back on the Nets after spending two seasons with them from 2017 to 2019. His only All-Star selection came when he was with the Nets, and he’s had a strong return to life. He’s averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 assists in the last two games, with the team picking up a big win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night.
That win over the Bucks might have been counter-productive, as the Nets have started to accelerate their tank but are still winning games.
A recent string of injuries will sideline Cam Johnson along with both new Lakers additions Russell and Maxwell Lewis for the foreseeable future. This will allow the Nets to get their tank back on track.
Brooklyn is still looking to consolidate more win-now players into assets, with Russell potentially being on the move again along with the high speculation around Johnson. It’ll be interesting to see how Marks operates with more trades until the deadline, as they’re looking to the 2025 NBA Draft as a major flashpoint for the franchise’s future.
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