Lakers Shake Up Roster Trading D-Lo to the Nets for Finney-Smith and Milton

The Lakers just made moves: D’Angelo Russell is heading back to the Nets, and in return, they’re getting Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. Shams Charania dropped the news, and honestly, it might be a W for both teams.

Finney-Smith is lowkey perfect for the Lakers. He’s got range (career-high 44% from 3), solid defense, and can guard multiple positions. At 6’7”, he’s the wing presence the Lakers have been needing. Dude’s averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 boards this season—big energy player vibes.

As for D-Lo, it’s been rough. He’s averaging a career-low 12.4 points and shooting only 33% from deep. Coach JJ Redick even benched him, and Max Christie’s been stepping up instead. Crazy how D-Lo’s back where he was an All-Star in 2018-19. Full circle moment.

Christie, meanwhile, is showing out. Over the last three games, he’s putting up 16.3 points and shooting 47% from 3. Not bad for a third-year guy. He’s making a strong case to be part of the Lakers' future core.

D-Lo’s contract is expiring, so Brooklyn might just be renting him out. Meanwhile, Finney-Smith is locked in for $14.9M this year and has a player option for next season. Shake Milton should also bring some extra playmaking to the Lakers’ bench squad.

On the Nets' side, Shake’s been cooking since stepping up, dropping 36 points and 12 assists across his last two games. They also snagged Maxwell Lewis and three future second-round picks from the Lakers. Draft assets galore.

With these picks, the Nets now have 31 over the next seven years. That’s crazy depth and flexibility heading into the offseason, plus they’re chilling with $60M in cap space.

Next up, the Lakers face the Cavs on Tuesday, and the Nets take on the Magic this Sunday. Let’s see how these squads look post-trade!