Nets re-acquire guard D’Angelo Russell in trade with Lakers

The Nets are bringing back a familiar face, re-acquiring guard D’Angelo Russell in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley confirms that the Lakers are sending Russell, forward Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the deal.

Begley also reports that the Nets have held a high asking price on Cam Johnson and are seeking significant draft capital in cursory talks with some teams.

Russell, 28, returns to Brooklyn as yet another stop on his well-traveled pro career. Russell earned his lone All-Star Game appearance with the Nets in 2018-19, averaging 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.

This season with the Lakers, the left-handed guard has averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 assists in 29 games (10 starts). Over the course of his 10-year career, the Ohio State product has averaged 17.5 points and 5.7 assists per game while having multiple stints the Nets and Lakers, as well as time spent with the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lewis, originally a second-round pick out of Pepperdine in 2023, is a 6-foot-7 wing who has played in just 41 NBA games, spending much of his time in the G League.

Finney-Smith, 31, was originally acquired by the Nets as part of the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023. The veteran has been having a solid season with Brooklyn, averaging 10.4 pints and 4.6 rebounds while shooting a career-best 43.5 percent from three-point range.

Milton, meanwhile, was acquired by Brooklyn this summer as part of the Mikal Bridges-to-the-Knicks trade. He averaged 7.4 points and 2.4 assists while averaging 18 minutes per game off the bench.

At 12-19 while dropping seven of their last 10 games, the Nets currently find themselves in 12^th place in the Eastern Conference.