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The Los Angeles Lakers added reinforcements to their team after trading for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. In exchange, the Lakers sent D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets, a team he's very familiar with after playing with them from 2017-2019.
After the trade, Magic Johnson went on social media and was excited about the trade for his team.
“Laker Nation, I am so excited about the trade for Dorian Finney-Smith,” Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s an excellent defender and 3-point shooter – just what the Lakers needed!”
Finney-Smith is a reliable player who is shooting 44% from three and is also a solid defender. He adds to the wing depth that the Lakers already have, and he'll fit in nicely with what they're trying to do.
Lakers trade D'Angelo Russell to the Nets
It seemed like the writing was on the wall for D'Angelo Russell after he was removed from the starting lineup and put in a backup point guard role. He had been playing well coming off the bench, but with the emergence of Austin Reaves as the point guard, the Lakers probably thought that they could move on from Russell.
It'll be interesting to see what the Nets decide to do with Russell, as they've bought into rebuilding for the future. They did just trade Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors, so they need a point guard, but Russell is good enough to help a contending team that needs a guard.
The Lakers did not have to give up a first-round pick in the trade, which means there's a chance that they could make more moves before the deadline. Since the start of the season, they've been in rumors about acquiring a center, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they added someone to help as depth alongside Anthony Davis.
