Lakers Acquire Dorian Finney-Smith from Nets For D’Angelo Russell

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertDecember 29, 2024
Share
#nba #trade #los angeles lakers #brooklyn nets #d'angelo russell #maxwell lewis #dorian finney-smith #shake milton
© USA TODAY Sports

After nearly two years of transaction inaction, the Los Angeles Lakers hooked up with a familiar trade partner in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers got some frontcourt depth, while the Nets gained even more financial flexibility for the summer of 2025.

Here are the particulars:

Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton

Brooklyn Nets acquire: D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, three Lakers second-round picks in 2027 (if Lakers first-round pick falls 5-30), 2030 and 2031

Let’s dive in!

Los Angeles Lakers

Incoming salary: $17.8 million in 2024-25

  • Dorian Finney-Smith (PF/SF, two years, $30.3 million), Shake Milton (PG, three years, $9.2 million (final two seasons non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $20.6 million in 2024-25

  • D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG, one year, $18.7 million), Maxwell Lewis (SF, three years, $6.5 million (final two seasons partially and non-guaranteed))

With Jarred Vanderbilt’s and Christian Wood’s returns to play continuing to be uncertain, along with LeBron James managing a foot issue, the Los Angeles Lakers needed frontcourt depth. They got it in the form of Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith is no longer the three/four wing stopper he once was, but he’s still an upgrade over the Lakers current bigger perimeter defenders. Finney-Smith has transitioned into being more of a four/small-ball five. And that has even more value for Los Angeles, who doesn’t have much behind Anthony Davis at the moment.

The Lakers will also benefit from Finney-Smith’s shooting. Normally a good shooter from the behind the arc, the veteran forward has been outstanding this season. Finney-Smith is at a career-best 43.5% on three-pointers this season. That’s a boon for JJ Redick, whose offense can often go lacking from the outside.

Giving up Russell leaves Los Angeles a bit thin in the backcourt. However, the veteran guard had seen his role reduced in recent weeks after being moved to the bench. Shake Milton will slot into a three-guard rotation with Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent. Dalton Knecht will also likely figure more into the backcourt rotation, as frontcourt minutes will be harder to come by with Finney-Smith in the fold.

After an uptick in playing time recently, Milton has shown he can still be a rotation guard. He’s more of a scoring threat than a playmaker, but the Lakers have plenty of passing in the units where Milton may play. They should be able to find a use for his scoring and shooting ability.

Financially, this move is also a win for the Lakers. They go from just $30,001 under the second apron to about $3.5 million under the second apron. That flexibility is huge for Rob Pelinka, as he could still look to make more moves down the line.

Long-term, the Lakers potentially take on $15.4 million on next season’s books, assuming Finney-Smith picks up his player option. It’s also possible that the veteran forward could opt out and re-sign with the Lakers for less money next season, but tacking on a couple of additional seasons.

In terms of draft picks, the Lakers had five available second-rounders to trade and gave up three of them in this deal. They still have their own second-round pick, as well as the Clippers second-round in 2025 to offer in a deal. (Note on the 2027 second-round pick the Lakers are sending the Nets: That pick will only convey if the Lakers send their first-round pick to the Utah Jazz that season. That pick is top-four protected.)

This may not have been the star trade that many Los Angeles Lakers fans were hoping for. But this is a smart move by Rob Pelinka. Dorian Finney-Smith will help the Lakers a lot in their injury-depleted frontcourt. And freeing up additional flexibility for other potential moves can’t go overlooked either.

Brooklyn Nets

Incoming salary: $20.6 million in 2024-25

  • D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG, one year, $18.7 million), Maxwell Lewis (SF, three years, $6.5 million (final two seasons partially and non-guaranteed))

Outgoing salary: $17.8 million in 2024-25

  • Dorian Finney-Smith (PF/SF, two years, $30.3 million), Shake Milton (PG, three years, $9.2 million (final two seasons non-guaranteed))

The Brooklyn Nets are continuing to reshape their roster on the fly this season. A trade of Dorian Finney-Smith always seemed likely, especially so after Dennis Schroder was dealt earlier this month. The Nets are now rebalanced a bit, as they figure out what they want the rest of this season to be.

After trading Schroder, Brooklyn was extremely thin in the backcourt, especially at point guard. D’Angelo Russell now returns to the Nets, where he had the best years of his NBA career so far.

Expect Russell to step into the starting lineup, as he’ll share the ballhandling duties with Ben Simmons. The duo once formed a very effective partnership at Montverde Academy in high school and now reunite in the NBA. Russell’s ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates will help a Nets offense that floundered after Schroder was traded.

Beyond that, expect Sean Marks to see if the opportunity to move Russell in a subsequent deal comes up. Russell is on an expiring contract, and he doesn’t have a real place on a rebuilding team. If no deal comes, look for Russell to play out the season with the Nets, as he attempts to rebuild his value.

A buyout for Russell is possible, but doesn’t seem overly likely. Because his $18.7 million salary is larger than the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Russell would be ineligible to sign with a team that is over the apron following a buyout. That eliminates teams like the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets from being spots for Russell after a buyout.

Maxwell Lewis is the kind of flyer that has paid off for Marks in the past. Lewis came into the 2023 NBA Draft as a potential wing shooter, with some defensive upside. He’s barely played in the NBA over two seasons, but has logged a decent amount of G League time. Last season, Lewis showed some 3&D potential with the South Bay Lakers. This year, his shooting has dropped off, but Lewis has shown a bit more on-ball playmaking ability. The Nets can toss him some minutes the rest of this season and see what they have, before making a decision on his contract for next season.

Financially, this move frees up even more potential cap space for the Nets in the summer of 2025. Brooklyn was already at a league-high $40.7 million in projected space. Now, Sean Marks has about $54.7 million to use this summer. That’s enough for a max signing, should the Nets want to move in that direction. Most importantly? It’s enough space to go in almost any direction for Brooklyn.

Finally, Marks added another three picks to his stash. The Nets now have 15 first-round picks and 16 second-round picks over the next seven drafts. That’s huge for Brooklyn, as that kind of capital will put them in the mix for just about any player who become available via trade.

The Brooklyn Nets aren’t done yet, at least it doesn’t feel like it. Sean Marks probably has another deal or two or in him before we get to the trade deadline. He’s got the ability to take this team in a lot of directions, as he sets up for what looks like a very important summer in Brooklyn.

 


#nba #trade #los angeles lakers #brooklyn nets #d'angelo russell #maxwell lewis #dorian finney-smith #shake milton
Top