How much the Lakers will save as Dorian Finney-Smith replaces D’Angelo Russell in blockbuster trade
The Lakers have bolstered their defense and three-point shooting with the acquisition of Finney-Smith. Russell’s second spell in L.A. comes to an end.
The Los Angeles Lakers have bolstered their defense and three-point shooting with the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith in a blockbuster trade that marks the end of D’Angelo Russell’s second stint with the Californian franchise.
The Lakers were one of the teams clearly looking to make a move before the February 6 trade deadline. Despite being fifth in the Western Conference, they are only three wins ahead of the 11th-placed team. The race for playoff spots is incredibly tight, and the Lakers knew they needed something extra to compete consistently in their conference. Two glaring weaknesses were their three-point shooting and perimeter defense, prompting them to act.
Lakers - Nets trade details broken down
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers have reached an agreement with the Brooklyn Nets involving multiple players and draft picks. The trade details are as follows: the Lakers will receive Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, while the Nets get D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks (2027, 2030, and 2031).
Breaking: The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed on a trade sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, sources told @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/tOIF6jOFMk
— ESPN (@espn) December 29, 2024
The Lakers believe Finney-Smith is the versatile player with strong three-point shooting and perimeter defense they were looking for. The 31-year-old joined Brooklyn in 2023 as part of the Kyrie Irving trade from Dallas. This season, Finney-Smith is shooting a career-best 44% from beyond the arc. The Lakers rank 18th in three-point percentage and are near the bottom in total three-pointers made.
Lakers' savings thanks to D’Angelo Russell departure
Additionally, the Lakers will save money with this trade. Specifically, they will save $15 million, placing them $3.5 million below the second apron, a critical financial threshold under the new collective bargaining agreement.
They’ve achieved this by letting go of Russell, who is retracing his steps from 2017 when he first left the Lakers. He returned to Los Angeles in 2023 in a three-team trade that saw the Lakers part ways with Russell Westbrook. Since then, Russell has mostly served as the starting point guard, though this season he has played more as a sixth man, showing flashes of brilliance but not consistently making a significant impact.
Russell now returns to the Nets, a team that has been offloading its key assets, including Dennis Schröder recently, in a clear rebuilding strategy. The Nets add these three second-round picks to their already substantial collection, totaling 31 picks (15 first-round and 16 second-round) over the next seven years. Russell’s salary of over $18 million is not an issue for the Nets, and he is in the final year of his contract, making him a free agent this summer.
Finney-Smith is due to make $14.9 million this season and holds a player option for next year at 15.3 million.
Original article written by Facundo Faucha, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.
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