The Los Angeles Lakers are sending guard D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis to the Brooklyn Nets by Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
LA will also send three second-round picks to Brooklyn, Charania adds.
The selections will air in 2027, 2030 and 2031, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports.
This is the second time Russell has been the focus of a trade between these two organizations: the Nets acquired him and former center Timofey Mozgov in the 2017 offseason in exchange for current Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez.
Russell played 129 games over two seasons with Brooklyn and was named to his only All-Star Game in the 2018-19 campaign while playing for the Nets.
The Ohio State product had spent the past two years in Los Angeles. Russell struggled to find a role with the Lakers this season, averaging 12.4 points in 29 games with the club. First-year head coach JJ Redick had moved Russell to the bench at times, using him as a second-unit scorer.
The second overall pick in the 2015 draft is on an expiring contract worth $18.7 million. Scrapping his salary will reduce Los Angeles’ luxury tax bill from $53.2 million to $42 million.
Lewis is a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft who has only appeared in 41 career games for Los Angeles.
Finney-Smith is in his third season with Brooklyn after arriving from Dallas in 2023. The 31-year-old is a versatile defender and is averaging double-digit points (10.4) for the second time in his career. He’s also shooting 43.5% from deep.
Milton has been a microwave scorer off the bench for Brooklyn this season, appearing in 27 games and averaging 7.4 points while shooting 38.9% from downtown.
Los Angeles has won five of its previous six games and has moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference, at 18-13.
The Nets, meanwhile, are 12-19 after their recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Brooklyn is ranked 12th in the East.
