The Brooklyn Nets are reuniting with guar D’Angelo Russell after completing a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday for a package headlined by forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guar Shake Milton.
Brooklyn is also getting three second-round draft picks and reserve forward Maxwell Lewis.
Russell was an All-Star for the Nets back in 2018-19 but was traded to the Golden State Warriors following that season for Kevin Durant.
In his second stint with the Lakers this season, the team that drafted him, Russell was having one of the worst campaigns of his career, averaging 12.4 points with 4.7 assists. His defense also lagged, which forced Lakers head coach JJ Redick to decrease his playing time.
Regardless, his return is vital to keep the backcourt afloat after trading Dennis Schroder to the Warriors two weeks ago.
Finney-Smith will now have an opportunity to build on a career year alongside LeBron James. The 31-year-old was averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season while shooting a career-high 44% from three-point range.
