What does trading D’Angelo Russell mean for the Lakers?

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Historically, teams are active on the day of the NBA trade deadline, making multiple trades — sometimes within a few minutes of each other — and overwhelming fans with trade information that makes it difficult to know what the heck is going on.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets decided to give us all a break from that confusion by making an early deal, providing us ample time to absorb the change of scenery.

The change? D’Angelo Russell going to the Nets with Maxwell Lewis and three second-round selections (2027, 2030, and 2031), and Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton going to L.A.

Let’s be clear immediately. No one here came out looking poorly, and both sides achieved what they wanted to achieve. If you’re looking for grades, both scored a solid B+ on this one, and let’s get into why.

D’Angelo Russell was no longer a good fit with the Lakers. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Lakers are competitive, and they have two of the best players in all of basketball in Anthony Davis and LeBron James. They needed legitimate weapons around him, and Finney-Smith fits that bill as a diverse 6-foot-7 wing-big who can defend at a high level and connect on a high percentage of his 3-point attempts.

At 31, Finney-Smith is hitting 43.5% of his 5.4 3 attempts per game, while covering everything from shooting guards to smaller centers, often with a high level of defensive discipline.

It should come as no surprise the Lakers sorely needed a two-way player who could participate on both sides of the court for long stretches. Outside of Davis, the roster was loaded with players who had their primary skill geared toward either offense or defense, and with the acquisition of Finney-Smith, they finally found a player whom they can rely on for a potential deep playoff push.

Giving up Russell, who’s been borderline unplayable during certain periods of this season, is almost addition by subtraction. His defense has been problematic, and his offensive decision-making never seemed to mesh with new head coach JJ Redick.

Of course, the Lakers had to pay for that upgrade by relinquishing draft equity, but did so without sacrificing…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/what-does-trading-dangelo-russell-mean-for-the-lakers-051656436.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-30 05:16:00

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