Breaking down the Lakers-Nets trade

As trade season in the NBA kicks into full gear, a couple of big-market teams headed in opposite directions swung a deal Sunday. Here's what to make of the D'Angelo Russell trade, which sees Russell move from Los Angeles to Brooklyn for the second time in his career.

Lakers receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton
Nets receive: D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, Three second-round picks (2027, 2030, 2031)

Lakers inch closer to finding right mix

For the Lakers, this trade is all about balance. Finney-Smith and Milton don't carry the same name recognition or natural talent as Russell, but they should make more of an impact than a pure talent comparison would indicate by providing head coach JJ Redick with extra balance and depth.

First and foremost, Finney-Smith will boost Los Angeles' bottom-10 defense as a versatile 6-foot-7 forward. His career-high 3-point percentage (43.5%) may not hold, but he should remain a good enough shooter given the looks he'll get playing off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to provide the Lakers the type of 3-and-D connector every contender needs.

Meanwhile, Milton might not be a key contributor, but he's the type of reserve guard who can shoot, create for himself in a pinch, and get hot enough to occasionally change a game. He's a fine third or fourth guard behind Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Gabe Vincent.

Russell is a one-way player who wasn't playing well enough on that end of the court. The 28-year-old former All-Star is shooting 33.3% from deep this season after shooting better than 40% and flirting with a 60% true shooting percentage over the last two campaigns. His points per shot attempt of 1.07 ranks in the 36th percentile among point guards, according to Cleaning The Glass. The Lakers lose some playmaking in this deal, but James and Reaves should provide enough to withstand that loss.

While the idea of Russell makes this seem like a talent downgrade, what the Lakers actually did was turn an inefficient scorer and porous defender into a couple of helpful depth pieces. They paid the price in second-rounders, but there's little downside to this deal for L.A. Finney-Smith's $15.4-million player option for next season could complicate matters, but the final two years of Milton's contract aren't guaranteed, so they haven't necessarily taken on any future salary. And the Lakers will save about $15 million in the short term thanks to the trade's tax implications.

This won't change the Lakers' trajectory all that much in the big picture. They're a solid team led by two aging greats, but they're not good enough to compete for a title. They should still be trying to build a winner - or at least the best team possible - around their two stars, though. Sunday's trade made them incrementally better without draining them of the assets required to make a bigger splash (even if that splash remains unlikely).

Nets want clean slate

After moving on from the failed Big Three experiment of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, Brooklyn further signaled its short-term intentions by trading Mikal Bridges for a boatload of draft capital in the offseason. The tanking Nets then quickly traded veteran point guard Dennis Schroder after they began the season playing surprisingly competent basketball. In moving Finney-Smith and Milton for Russell's expiring contract, general manager Sean Marks continues to execute what looks like a pretty obvious plan.

The Nets want to wipe the slate clean while racing to the bottom of the standings and accumulating as many draft picks as possible. This transaction checks all of those boxes, and I'd imagine Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton are next (if there's a market for the regressing Claxton). The only other players Brooklyn has under contract for next season are sophomores Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson, and Dariq Whitehead, while Cam Thomas, Ziaire Williams, and Day'Ron Sharpe are slated for restricted free agency.

It's worth noting that the Nets reportedly turned down a top-15 protected first-round pick, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, and second-round considerations from Memphis before sending Finney-Smith to Los Angeles, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. A 2025 first-rounder was likely the best asset between the two trade proposals, but Konchar had two more guaranteed years left worth roughly $6.2 million per season. It appears the Nets valued clearing the books over a late first-rounder in a loaded draft class. That's an interesting choice given this offseason is unlikely to feature any superstar free agents.

As for Russell, keep in mind that because his $18.7-million salary is worth more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, apron teams like Boston, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Phoenix, New York, Miami, Denver, and Philadelphia would be prohibited from signing him if the Nets buy him out. However, Russell will get plenty of opportunity to boost his trade value before the Feb. 6 deadline, as he immediately slots in as Brooklyn's lead guard.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.