A Shams-bomb dropping on a football Sunday, and later confirmed by the Nets: Brooklyn and Lakers have completed a deal that will send Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to L.A. for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks (a conditional pick in 2027, and unprotected picks in 2030 and 2031).
Russell, the No. 2 pick in 2015, returns for his second stint in Brooklyn after playing here from 2017-19. He is averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 26.3 minutes per game this season. The 28-year-old earned his only career All-Star selection in Brooklyn, and averaged 19 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 129 games in those seasons.
Lewis, a second-round pick in 2023, has played sparingly in two seasons in Los Angeles, getting 3.2 minutes per game in 41 contests.
The move helps clear salary for Brooklyn, as Russell is on an expiring contract while Finney-Smith has a $15.4 million player option for next season, and they now have $60 million in cap space next summer to go along with three first-round picks in the 2025 Draft.
They have also acquired six future second-round picks this year, as they also got three in the deal that sent Dennis Schroder to Golden State.
Meanwhile, the trade gives the Lakers a three-point threat and defensive ace in Finney-Smith – who is shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc and can defend all five spots on the floor – and Milton, who is averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 assists off the bench this season. They also gain $15 million in savings against the salary cap and move to $3.5 million below the second apron.