The Los Angeles Lakers finally decided to move on from D’Angelo Russell by trading him to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. It had seemed likely for months that the Lakers would move Russell and team insider Anthony Irwin explained why they were now ready to part ways with him.
“Per a source, Austin’s (Reaves) play since Max (Christie) stepped into the starting group and Gabe’s (Vincent) recent stretch made the Lakers comfortable moving on from Russell now.”
Austin Reaves has indeed impressed since Max Christie was made a starter on Dec. 8. In the seven games they have started together since then, Reaves has averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.0 steals. They’ve been great together, although Christie won’t be a starter any longer.
As for Gabe Vincent, he has been playing better after a horrendous start to the season. In December, he is averaging 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from three.
Vincent is playing like the solid 3-and-D player the Lakers expected him to be when they gave him that three-year, $33 million deal in 2023. He did suffer an oblique injury against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday but it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious.
With Reaves and Vincent impressing in that backcourt, it’s understandable that the Lakers felt comfortable with moving on from Russell. They don’t have a playmaker on their bench now, though, as they didn’t bring in one in this trade.
The Lakers sent Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. While Finney-Smith is the kind of elite 3-and-D wing that the team has lacked in recent years, neither he nor Milton are known for their playmaking.
So, the Lakers do need to bring someone in to fill that spot. Irwin expects them to be active in the market so it will be interesting to see who they are able to acquire.
As for Russell, he ended his second stint with the Lakers with averages of 16.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. The 28-year-old delivered some incredible highs during that time and some shocking lows as well.
Inconsistency has always been the problem with Russell. There are stretches where he looks like one of the best guards in the league but he follows that up by playing like one of the worst.
Russell struggled for much of this season, averaging just 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He was benched as a result and perhaps a change in scenery will lead to him start playing better.
It has been reported that Russell is excited after the Lakers traded him to the Nets. This is, of course, the second time that the Lakers have sent him to the Nets and things worked out for him the first time around.
Russell made his only All-Star appearance (2019) during his time with the Nets from 2017 to 2019. He is expected to have a big role in the team and that should help his chances of getting a big deal in the offseason when he’ll be a free agent.
Russell will be in action next when the Nets take on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET. As for the Lakers, they face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 9 PM ET.
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