Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Rob Pelinka Shares Genuine Response After Trading D’Angelo Russell To Nets
Rob Pelinka executed a major move today, as he 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. With the deal now being official, Pelinka put out a statement thanking Russell and Lewis, along with sharing optimism and excitement for the new players coming in.
“We want to thank D’Angelo for his second stint with us, where we celebrated some great moments and accomplishments on the court together. We want to wish him and Maxwell Lewis well in their future endeavors with the Brooklyn Nets."
"With this trade, we are thrilled to add the physicality, toughness, and elite shooting that Dorian Finney-Smith will bring to our core. We also greatly value the playmaking of Shake Milton. We are excited for our fans to get both of these players out on the court.”
Dorian Finney-Smith is a major get for the Lakers, as he adds great size, defense, and three-point shooting to the Lakers, three things that the team has needed this season. For the season, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 45.9% from the field, 43.5% from deep (a career-high), and 62.5% from the free-throw line.
As for Shake Milton, he has also played well in the limited minutes he has gotten this season, averaging 18.2 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.6 steals per game, while shooting 46.5% from the field, 38.9% from deep, and 75.8% from the free-throw line. His strong three-point shooting is also set to give the Lakers a massive boost from range.
The Lakers desperately needed a move like this, that gives them everything they're looking for right now. On top of that, with the way he had been playing, moving D'Angelo Russell had become a bit of a priority. His performances had been poor, and with his expiring contract, they risked losing him for no return whatsoever.
The Lakers Must Make More Moves
While Rob Pelinka did a good job with this deal, he must be active. As his former client and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant once said, 'Job's not finished'. Pelinka must go out and get more reinforcements if he is serious about helping the team achieve contender status.
One of the crucial things to note about this deal is the fact that the Lakers didn't give up any of their first-round picks. They currently have their 2026, 2028, 2029, and 2030 first-round picks, which they can use to land another strong player and help improve the team going forward.
It was reported this week that Pelinka wants to bring in young players who not only contribute at a high level right now but can be future stalwarts for JJ Redick when the team eventually moves on from LeBron James. Perhaps this is why the team refuses to include Austin Reaves in a potential deal for Zach LaVine.
We had suggested a monster trade for the Lakers to land De'Aaron Fox just a few days ago. But with the departure of Russell, who was on a decent $18.7 million salary, that deal will be difficult to pull off.
Regardless, expect the Lakers to be active on the trade front in the coming weeks, as we fast approach the February 6th deadline.
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