Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets acquired D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick. With the Nets looking to acquire young prospects and draft picks, it has come at the expense of acquiring untradeable contracts.
Just two years removed from being the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Russell has an opportunity for a fresh start after his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. General manager Sean Marks says numerous executives around the league are ‘enamored' with the potential according to Sirius XM NBA as transcribed by Net Income of Nets Daily:
“I've followed D'Angelo for many years now, going back to college. And myself, along with a lot of executives around the league have been enamored with the potential there.
In addition, Marks likes Russell's personality after spending time together:
“I don’t know where his sort of ceiling is. We like his size. We like his passing ability. And the more I get to know D'Angelo, the more I like the person. We've spent a lot of time together and I think he fits with how we want to play. So we're excited there.
In two seasons with the Lakers, it was a unique experience. During Russell's rookie season, it was Kobe Bryant's farewell tour and he was in former head coach Byron Scott's dog house. While things improved under head coach Luke Walton, he played different roles in his sophomore season.
Under the circumstances, Marks has done a solid job of rebuilding. After losing lottery picks to the Boston Celtics as a result of the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade, Brooklyn has patiently been putting the pieces together instead of pursuing top free agents who likely would not sign.
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