The Los Angeles Lakers recently improved their team, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis. But what Lakers fans are now waiting to find out is when they'll see their new players in action, and it sounds like it'll be sooner than later, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“JJ Redick says the hope for the Lakers is to have Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in the lineup Tuesday vs. CLE. Redick says he will keep the same starting lineup, however,” McMenamin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

When Finney-Smith and Milton do play, Lakers fans will be excited about what they are able to bring to the team. Finney-Smith has been known as a 3-and-D player throughout his career, and Milton is one of the better perimeter shooters in the league. They should be able to fit in seamlessly with the Lakers' current roster, and it'll be interesting to see what their roles look like as the season progresses and they get acclimated.

Lakers acquire much-needed depth in Nets trade

Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (28) warms up prior to the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center.
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Lakers had been in trade rumors for a while, and they were able to get something done to help improve their team as the season progresses. They now have much-needed wing depth, and Finney-Smith is a solid defender that they could use. A day before the trade, there were rumors that the Memphis Grizzlies were close to acquiring Finney-Smith, but the first-round pick that they were offering was heavily protected and didn't have a real chance of conveying.

Instead, the Nets decided to make a deal with the Lakers, and in return, they got Russell and Lewis. For the past two seasons, Russell had been up-and-down with the Lakers, but when Redick was hired, it felt like things might get better. Instead, Russell ended up getting moved to the bench as the backup point guard, and he wasn't as effective as he used to be.

Russell now goes back to the Nets, where he once played and helped get to the playoffs, but this time around, it looks like they're in the rebuilding phase. He can help the team since they don't have a point guard after trading Dennis Schroder, or they may look to buy him out so he can go to a contending team. By the end of the season, we'll see if this was either a win-win for both teams or if one organization ended up getting luckier than the other.