Two seasons after the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, D'Angelo Russell was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In a move to create cap space for two max contract players in 2018, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka included Russell with Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (Kyle Kuzma).
When head coach Luke Walton joined the team prior to the 2016-17 NBA season, he was extremely excited about Russell's potential. As the Lakers prepare for their first matchup against the point guard since the trade, Walton admits to checking up on Russell according to Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints:
Luke Walton on D’Angelo Russell: “He’s been playing great. I’m happy for him.” Admits he checks up on him #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) November 1, 2017
At the time of the trade, it was a surprising move since it appeared the Lakers were going to be patient with the rebuilding process. By trading Russell and Mozgov's untradeable contract, Johnson and Pelinka are hoping to ultimately land LeBron James and Paul George in free agency.
For Russell, he has taken advantage of a fresh start in Brooklyn. Through seven appearances, he is averaging 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 26.4 minutes. As many are split about the trade, time will tell if the Lakers made the right decision.
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