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The Los Angeles Lakers traded guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for the second time in his pro career on Sunday. Los Angeles also gave up three second-round picks and forward Maxwell Lewis — who was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft — to the Nets.
In exchange, the Lakers received two players. Dorian Finney-Smith may be the biggest name heading to Los Angeles as a result of the deal, but the team also acquired Shake Milton, who served as a spark plug off the pine for Brooklyn this season.
Folks around the NBA sphere reacted to the news of the trade and offered plenty of contrasting takes.
Finney-Smith should bolster the Lakers’ depth at forward and provide the team with two skills that are very important to succeeding in the modern NBA: 3-point shooting and versatile defense.
The 31-year-old was red-hot from 3-point range with the Nets this season prior to being dealt to Los Angeles, shooting a career-high 43.5 percent from deep on 5.4 attempts per game across 20 contests (all starts).
Additionally, Milton could help soften the blow of losing a player like Russell. Milton is capable of getting the ball through the bottom of the net, and he put together some notable performances off the pine this season before the trade.
He scored 16-plus points in each of his final two games with the Nets (one of which was a start, his first of the season) and had a 20-point performance mixed in there.
The Lakers are hoping that Finney-Smith and Milton will prove to be impactful additions as the team looks to win now with LeBron James nearing the end of his NBA career. James’ 40th birthday will actually be on Monday, and he is in his seventh season with the Lakers.
The trade is arguably less notable from Brooklyn’s standpoint, as the team is seemingly in the middle of a downward spiral. The Nets own a record of just 12-20 on the season, and they lost to the Orlando Magic by one point on Sunday after they were outscored by 16 points in the fourth quarter.
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