The Lakers sent their own second-round picks in 2027, 2030 and 2031 to the Nets.
Russell, the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, is averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 26.3 minutes per game this season. The 28-year-old point guard returns to the Nets, where he played during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, when he earned his only All-Star selection.
The move gives the Lakers a versatile 3-and-D player in Finney-Smith. The 31-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season with the Nets, with whom he has played since arriving in the Kyrie Irving trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023.
Finney-Smith is shooting a career-high 43.5% from 3-point range this season and is known as a high-end wing defender.
Finney-Smith is the only NBA player this season to defend guards, forwards and centers each for at least 15 half-court matchups per game, according to Second Spectrum. He is on pace to average at least 10 points in a season for the second time in his career.
“With this trade, we are thrilled to add the physicality, toughness and elite shooting that Dorian Finney-Smith will bring to our core,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “We also really value Shake Milton’s play. We are excited for our fans to be able to have these two players on the court.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick has preached positional versatility and toughness on his roster, attributes that the franchise’s addition should help with. Los Angeles also creates salary and luxury tax flexibility, saving a total of $15 million and moving $3.5 million below the second deck. Finney-Smith has a $15.4 million player option for next season.
Redick and Finney-Smith were Mavericks teammates during the 2020-21 season.
The Nets acquire draft capital and cleaner salaries going forward, including the expiring deal with Russell. Brooklyn now has 31 draft picks over the next seven years (15 first-rounders and 16 second-rounders) plus more than $60 million in cap space this offseason.
Earlier this month, the Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors for three second-round picks.
Russell started the first eight games of the season for the Lakers until Redick changed the starting lineup after his team lost four of five games. Despite the bench role, Russell’s production had been increasing. His 13 points per game on 43.2% shooting from the field and 38.6% on 3-pointers in December were better than what he averaged in November (12.5 points per game on 41.7%/32.5% ) and October (10.8 points per game with 36.7%/25%). ).
“We want to thank D’Angelo for his second stint with us, where we celebrated great moments and achievements on the court together,” Pelinka said in a statement. “We want to wish him and Maxwell Lewis the best in their future endeavors with the Brooklyn Nets.”
Russell, despite being linked to trade discussions in February, was coming off a solid season in which he averaged 18.0 points on 45.6% shooting and 41.5% from 3-point range, while setting a Lakers record in triples in a season with 226.
When he greeted reporters during the Lakers’ annual media day in September, he said, “Surprise, surprise,” acknowledging a somewhat unexpected turn of events for him to exercise his $18.7 million player option for returning to Los Angeles after all the trade talks and Another inconsistent postseason performance.
Russell has been traded five times in the last seven and a half years.
Lewis, a 22-year-old forward selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, has seen action in seven games this season, averaging 4.1 minutes.
Milton, 28, averaged 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his first season with the Nets. He is owed $3 million next season and $3.3 million in 2026-27.
Milton joins his sixth NBA team in less than two years, including his third trade in 11 months.
