Brooklyn Nets point guard D'Angelo Russell was throwing a pool party at his house when he found out he was being traded from the Los Angeles Lakers.
That summer, Russell was doing the same thing pretty much every day. He would train during the day and then relax with his friends afterwards.
On June 22, 2017, Russell got a call from his agent during his pool party.
“It was like the same thing, every day, every day,” Russell said, via Ian Begley of ESPN. “I would leave the house, go train, go to another place, go train, I was doing like three-a-days. And I remember throwing a party, a pool party — every day, it was a little get-together, me and my boys and stuff — at my house.
“And mid-pool party — we're getting barbecue — I get the phone call.”
It was Russell's agents. They had news of a possible trade.
The destination was unknown but they told him it could be one of the two NBA teams in New York.
“Stay near my phone,” Russell said of the instructions given to him. His agents called back a few minutes later, this time with Nets president and general manager Sean Marks on the line. Russell was headed to Brooklyn.
“I was like, ‘Let's go! I'm ready, let's do it!'” Russell said.
The Nets clearly won the trade with the Lakers. Russell became an All-Star this season and led Brooklyn to the playoffs. The Lakers, meanwhile, missed the postseason this year.
Russell averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game for the Nets this season. The lefty shot 43.4 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line.
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