Nets bring back D’Angelo Russell in trade with the Lakers

According to nba.com, there was an intriguing trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. The Nets brought back point guard D’Angelo Russell of Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to Russell, the Nets acquired rookie small forward Maxwell Lewis of Las Vegas, Nevada, and three future second round draft picks. Meanwhile, the Lakers acquired forward Dorian Finney-Smith of Portsmouth, Virginia and shooting guard Shake Milton of Owasso, Oklahoma from the Nets.

The principal players in the deal are Russell and Finney-Smith. This is the second time Russell has played for the Nets. He was previously with them from 2017 to 2019. In 129 regular season games, he averaged 19 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and 1.1 steals per game. Russell also had a field goal percentage of .428, three point percentage of .355, and a free throw percentage of .765. In 2018-19, Russell was a NBA All-Star with the Nets. He averaged 21.1 points per game, seven assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and 1.2 steals per game. Russell had a field goal percentage of .434, three point percentage of .369, and a free throw percentage of .780.

In addition to playing for the Lakers (2015 to 2017 and 2023 to 2025), Russell played one season with the Golden State Warriors (2019-20), and four seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2020 to 2023). This season with the Lakers, Russell averaged 16.9 points per game, 6.4 assists per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.1 steals per game, with a field goal percentage of .415, three-point percentage of .333, and a field goal percentage of .849.

In addition to playing for the Nets the last three seasons, Finney-Smith played seven seasons with the Dallas Mavericks from 2016 to 2023. This season with the Nets, he averaged 10.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game. Finney-Smith also had a field goal percentage of .459, three point percentage of .435, and a free throw percentage of .625.

The Nets are 12th in the East at 12 wins and 20 losses. The Lakers are fifth in the West at 18 wins and 13 losses.