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The Los Angeles Lakers took a step towards improving their roster this weekend in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets sending D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. It seemed like it was only a matter of time as Russell's name has popped up in trade rumors throughout his return to the Lakers. Following the trade, we will assess a grade for the move.
Before the trade, D'Angelo Russell had settled into a bench role and had been playing well for the most part. Given the Lakers' uncertainty with the backcourt rotation, having a veteran presence steering the second unit actually gave the team pause for a potential Russell trade.
But in recent weeks, both Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent have been playing very well, which in turn made the Lakers more open on a potential Russell deal, as per ClutchPoints' Lakers insider Anthony Irwin.
With that said, here's a look and a grade for how the Lakers ultimately fared by moving D'Angelo Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith.
Lakers can still improve roster after Dorian Finney-Smith trade
To get right to the point, this was a stellar trade for the Lakers. While it's been no secret that the Lakers have been exploring trades in hopes of upgrading the roster, it wasn't like they had much on the roster in terms of actual trade value that they would be willing to part with.
With Dorian Finney-Smith, the Lakers picked up a quality role player who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. One of Russell's greatest strengths was having the ball in his hands and being able to orchestrate the offense. It's been Russell who has been adept at identifying the hot hand and continuing to feed them, especially rookie wing Dalton Knecht.
But the Lakers have clearly identified Austin Reaves as their primary ball-handler, and JJ Redick has a lot of trust in Gabe Vincent as the backup. In the grand scheme of things, Russell's role had sort of been squeezed out when the team is fully healthy.
In Finney-Smith, the Lakers land one of the most coveted players that was on the trade market. He is the perfect mold of a 3&D wing. With the Nets in rebuild mode and in the tank race for Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Finney-Smith was a prime trade candidate and the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly were close to acquiring him as well.
In 20 games for the Nets this season, Finney-Smith averaged 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists with splits of 45.9 percent shooting from the field, 43.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 62.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. As a player who excels off the ball, he will fit in well with the Lakers and their primary shot creators and ball-handlers.
But it's not just Finney-Smith whom the the Lakers acquired in the trade. They also picked up Shake Milton, who eases any concerns about backcourt depth following the departure of Russell. Milton is obviously not as big of a name as Finney-Smith, but he's a solid backup point guard.
In Milton's final game with the Nets on Friday, he finished with 16 points and 12 assists. On the season, he's appeared in 27 games, including one start, at a little over 18 minutes per game. He had been averaging 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists with splits of 46.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
One of the most important aspects of the trade though is that the Lakers retain flexibility to make further moves ahead of the trade deadline. There's still a need for help in the frontcourt given the team's uncertain injury status for Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt. But as for the Finney-Smith and Milton acquisitions, the Lakers receive a high trade grade.
Final grade: A
