Russell had been moved to a bench role while Lakers coach JJ Redick looked for better defense in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Lakers have traded point guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Finney-Smith provides a better fit for a Lakers lineup in need of shooting and defense on the wing. The nine-year veteran is averaging 10.4 points (the second-best of his career) and 4.6 rebounds, shooting a career-best 44% (47-for-108) on 3s.
In his second stint with the Lakers, Russell was underperforming this season, averaging a career-low 12.4 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 33% on 3-pointers. He returns to Brooklyn, where he was an All-Star in 2018-19, and replaces Dennis Schröder, who was traded to the Golden State Warriors two weeks ago.
Lakers coach JJ Redick moved Russell to a reserve role to provide scoring and playmaking off the bench. Yet his defense was frequently problematic, resulting in third-year guard Max Christie getting a bigger role.
Russell, 28, is in the final year of his contract with a salary of $18.7 million this season. Finney-Smith, 31, has a $14.9 million salary with a player option for next season, set to pay him $15.4 million.
Milton should bring additional defense and playmaking to the Lakers’ second unit. Moving into the Nets’ starting lineup after Schröder was traded, he scored a combined 36 points in his past two games and notched 12 assists in Friday’s 96–87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. For the season, Milton averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 assists.
Also included in the package going to Brooklyn is reserve forward Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
