The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a massive move today, as they sent D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis, along with three second-round picks, to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. And according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Russell is looking forward to his new adventure, after a difficult second stint with the Lakers comes to an end.
“Talked to someone close to D’Angelo Russell. He’s excited for a new opportunity, obviously saw his role diminishing with Lakers. A MASSIVE few months for him as he heads into free agency this upcoming summer. Considering the market for Tyus Jones last summer, it could be an uphill battle.”
This marks the second time in Russell’s career that he has been traded from the Lakers to the Nets, as he becomes one of the very few players to be traded from and to the same franchise twice in his career. The Lakers sent Russell to the Nets first in 2017, which kicked off a roller coaster journey for him in the NBA.
After the trade was completed, many expected Russell to be bought out by the Nets, as he is on an expiring contract this season and will become a free agent in the summer. With no genuine upside to keeping him going forward and a risk that he might improve and hurt their tanking chances, the thought process was that Russell would be back on the market pretty soon.
But it appears that isn’t the case, as Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype is reporting that Russell is expected to stay with the Nets and play regularly. This might be a smart move for the Nets, who could even use Russell and flip him, using his expiring contract as a makeweight for any future deals they try to pull off.
Russell’s first stint with Brooklyn was quite strong, as he earned his first All-Star nomination with the franchise in 2019. He averaged 19.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks during his 129 games with the team, and had a 58-71 record across two seasons.
But Russell is a much different player now than when he first joined the Nets. Now an NBA veteran, Russell’s production has taken a significant dip over the last few years. This season, he has been playing quite poorly, averaging 12.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field, 33.3% from deep, and 84.9% from the free-throw line.
Perhaps the Nets will want to keep Russell for his lackluster production, as they are currently in a rebuild and looking to have a poor record this year to give themselves the best chance to land a high lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. And the risk is quite low, with Russell’s $18.7 million salary coming off the books in the summer.
Stay tuned to Fadeaway World, as we continue to break down and analyze the details of this massive trade.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
