NBA News: D'Angelo Russell Traded to Nets; Lakers Get Finney-Smith, Shake Milton

The Los Angeles Lakers traded guard D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the deal that included Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton coming back to Los Angeles:

Russell spent parts of the past three seasons in L.A.. He exercised the $18.7 million option in his contract to remain with the Lakers over the summer.

After Russell opted in, The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported that the Lakers were "expected to be aggressive" in finding a trade partner.

Russell is an NBA veteran who has enjoyed two stints with the Lakers, as well as time with the Nets, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

He was originally the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Lakers, but it wasn't until he went to Brooklyn that he truly broke out, as he was named an All-Star for the first and only time in his career in 2018-19 when he averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals per game.

The Lakers re-acquired Russell in a trade with the T-Wolves during the 2022-23 season, and he helped L.A. make it back to the Western Conference Finals.

Last season was one of the best of Russell's career in terms of efficiency, as he averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 three-pointers made per game, while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and a career-best 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.

In 29 appearances this season, Russell has averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.

Given Russell's uncertain role and declining numbers, there has been plenty of speculation regarding big changes to the roster and his status with the Lakers as this season has unfolded.

With the Lakers shipping Russell to the Nets, the supporting cast around James and Davis now looks quite different.

Moving forward, the guard will have an opportunity to put up big numbers again like he did during his first stint with Brooklyn, especially if he assumes a larger role for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign ahead of a return to free agency.