It’s been a tough offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. For a team that is supposed to be in constant contention for the NBA title, the way that the summer has gone for the Purple and Gold so far has been underwhelming to say the least.
They tried (and failed) to poach Dan Hurley from the UConn Huskies and settled with an untested head coach in JJ Redick. They tried to bring Klay Thompson over after the Golden State Warriors decided to part ways, but he instead chose to go with the Dallas Mavericks. Even Buddy Hield chose to go to the Warriors over the Lakers.
Free agency has been rough that even one analyst beleived that the Purple and Gold are among the biggest losers of this year’s free agency. However, Rob Pelinka and company aren’t stopping to build the best possible roster to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis win another championship together.
Los Angeles Lakers are considering sending D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for a 3-and-D player
Everyone knows that D’Angelo Russell is on his way out of the Lakers roster. While he’s a serviceable point guard, he’s far from what the Purple and Gold actually needs to win.
One of his possible destinations is the Brooklyn Nets, a team that once welcomed Russell during his first exodus from the squad. While no specifics were given out on what the Lakers were looking for in the Brooklyn roster, Heavy’s Alder Almo reports that they’re heavily considering getting a sharpshooter who can also defend:
The Los Angeles Lakers have held trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets about their pair of 3-and-D wings Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, according to LA Daily’s Anthony Irwin.
“Brooklyn wants a first-round pick for Finney-Smith, according to sources, and are a little more flexible on Johnson because of his contract and injury history,” Irwin wrote on July 3.
The Lakers, Irwin added, have been offering a combination of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino in all of their trade talks with several teams, the Nets included.
It makes sense for the Nets to want Russell back into the fold. Not only did he produce his first (and so far only) All-Star appearance while wearing a Nets jersey, but he perfectly fits the rebuild timeline the team is gunning for.
Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 76 appearances last season. so he’ll be a perfect star player for the Nets as they transition to a new era iin their history. Some would also guess that DLo would also want to return to the team he enjoyed playing for next season.
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