The Los Angeles Lakers made a deal to fortify their perimeter defense on Sunday, trading D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
With Jarred Vanderbilt yet to suit up this season due to a knee injury (he could return in early January), the Lakers have lacked perimeter defense as Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Russell are not defensive-minded players.
Finney-Smith, 31, has ideal size as a wing at 6’7, 200 pounds, and is a good defender, something that the Lakers desperately need. The veteran spent the first six seasons of his career in Dallas before being traded to the Nets as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. He is averaging a career-best 10.4 points this season on 44 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The Lakers rank 21st in defense rating (114.9), and allow 114.1 points per game, 19th in the NBA this season. Finney-Smith will help in that area and if Vanderbilt can return to full health, the Lakers will have some quality wing defense.
Milton, 28, averaged a career-high 13.0 points on 45 percent shooting in 2020-21, and is someone who can provide a scoring spark.
Meanwhile, this will be Russell’s second stint as a Net, as he played there for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, the latter of which he was named to his lone all-star game, shooting 43 percent and averaging 21.1 points and 7.0 assists. This season, he is averaging 12.4 points on 42 percent shooting.
Russell never seemed to truly fit in Los Angeles, a volume shooter of sorts who was the antithesis of who you want to play alongside LeBron James (shooters who are defensive-minded). In Brooklyn, Russell will be playing with Ben Simmons where he figures to get open looks. If the Nets decide to keep Russell, they have plenty of scoring with Russell, Cam Thomas, and Cam Johnson.
Comments