ORLANDO — The Nets have traded veteran ahead Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers for draft picks — and the return of the prodigal son.
Brooklyn shipped Finney-Smith and backup guard Shake Milton — who was approaching of late — to Los Angeles for 3 second-round picks, Maxwell Lewis and former Web D’Angelo Russell. The Nets will get the Lakers’ second-rounders in 2027, 2030 and 2031.
The information was first reported by ESPN, and confirmed by The Submit.
Russell — averaging 12.4 factors and 4.7 assists — was a key linchpin of common supervisor Sean Marks’ first rebuild in Brooklyn, earlier than being moved in a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant.
It stays to be seen if he’ll be round for this second rebuild. And if he nonetheless harbors any exhausting emotions over being traded away the primary time.
In Finney-Smith, the Nets traded away their toughness on the court docket and the grownup within the room. Having among the best seasons of his profession, he was a team-leading plus-41, when no different Web was higher than plus-2 coming into Sunday’s recreation in Orlando.
Finney-Smith is capturing a career-high 44 p.c from 3-point vary. However he had a participant possibility for subsequent yr that he was unlikely to select up, which means he might’ve left for nothing in unrestricted free company in the summertime.
Marks and Nets proprietor Joe Tsai had a suggestion of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith as quickly as they acquired him from Dallas for Kyrie Irving. However they have been making an attempt to compete behind Mikal Bridges on the time, and had little interest in a tear-down rebuild.
However instances have modified.
Now they’re rebuilding, and as soon as once more Russell might be a part of it. They’d acquired the younger level guard from the Lakers and molded him into an All-Star. He helped information them into the 2018-19 playoffs, however was traded in the summertime of 2019 as a part of the deal to herald Durant.
Requested in 2021 if he was further motivated taking part in towards the Nets, he stated no however will surely be if Marks was suiting up.
“Maybe if Sean Marks was in a jersey, then there’d be something different,” Russell advised The Submit. “However he’s not.
“It’s part of the league. Obviously I was traded before that, so I’m sure I could be traded again. I try not to get too comfortable. You know, I know any day you can wake up and get that call, so my bags are packed.”
Russell is on an expiring contract that may pay him $18.7 million. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summertime.
Brooklyn presently begins Ben Simmons at level guard, on a $40 million expiring deal.
