At 1 a.m. Beijing time on December 30th, according to Shams, a well-known reporter from ESPN, the Lakers and the Nets have reached a trade deal, with Russell and Finney-Smith swapping teams. The details of the trade are as follows: The Lakers send Russell, Lewis, and three second-round picks in a 5-for-2 trade to acquire Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. Russell returns to the Nets!
Russell's contract is worth 36millionovertwoyears,expiringinthesummerof2025,withasalaryof18.7 million this season. Finney-Smith's contract is worth 56millionoverfouryears,expiringinthesummerof2026,withasalaryof14.4 million this season. Milton earns 2.8millionperyear,whileLewisearns1.9 million. The total salary of the two players sent away by the Lakers is higher.
The Lakers have always wanted Finney-Smith, and through this trade, they saved 15millioninluxurytax,leavingthem3.5 million short of the second-highest tax line. So what does the Nets get out of this? 1. Russell's contract is expiring, allowing the Nets to free up salary space next offseason; 2. The three second-round picks from the Lakers are also worth a few million dollars.
In June 2017, Russell was traded by the Lakers to the Nets. During his time with the Nets, Russell was selected to the All-Star team. It has been more than seven years since then, and Russell has once again been sent to the Nets by the Lakers. Throughout his Lakers career, Russell played a total of 265 games, averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
This season, Russell played 29 games for the Lakers, starting in 10 of them. He averaged 26.3 minutes per game, scoring 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 turnovers, with shooting percentages of 41.5%, 33.3%, and 84.9%. His average points and rebounds are career lows, and his average assists are the second-lowest of his career, only higher than his rookie season.
Finney-Smith was born on May 4, 1993, stands at 2.01 meters tall, and has an arm span of 2.13 meters, making him a tough forward. This season, he played 20 games for the Nets, all as a starter. He averaged 29 minutes per game, scoring 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks, with shooting percentages of 45.9%, 43.5%, and 62.5%.
Let's take a look at Shake Milton's stats, who is not the Melton that the Warriors sent to the Nets. Shake Milton was born on September 26, 1996, stands at 1.96 meters tall, and has an arm span of 2.15 meters. This season, he averaged 18.2 minutes per game with the Nets, scoring 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, with shooting percentages of 46.5%, 38.9%, and 75.8%.
Lewis mainly plays in the Development League, so sending him away has little impact on the Lakers. The Lakers acquired two immediate contributors in the trade, bolstering their bench depth. The Nets were asking for a first-round pick for Finney-Smith, and the Grizzlies recently inquired about Finney-Smith with the Nets. While negotiating, the Nets turned around and made a deal with the Lakers.
For Russell, leaving the Lakers is also a kind of liberation. Now that he has lost his starting position and is in a contract year, continuing to play like this would definitely not result in a big contract next offseason. The Nets are a rebuilding team, and Russell will have enough opportunities to shoot, which could lead to improved statistics. Final question: Who do you think benefited from this trade?
