Lakers Officially Announce 5-for-2 Trade! Smith and Milton Join the Team, US Media Predicts New Starting Lineup

On December 30th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continues. According to Shams, a well-known journalist, the Lakers and the Nets have reached a major 2-for-5 trade, which the Lakers quickly announced as completed.

The details of this trade are as follows:

Lakers receive: Finney-Smith, Shake Milton;

Nets receive: D'Angelo Russell, Lewis, 3 second-round picks (2027, 2030, 2031, all from the Lakers).

The contract situations of the players involved in the trade are as follows:

Finney-Smith's salary for this season is $14.92 m i l l i o n, w i t h a p l a y e r o p t i o n w o r t h$ 14.92million,withaplayeroptionworth15.38 million for the 2025-26 season;

Milton's salary for this season is $2.88 m i l l i o n, w i t h a s a l a r y o f$ 2.88million,withasalaryof3 million for the 2025-26 season and $3.29 million for the 2026-27 season;

Russell's salary for this season is $18.7 million, and his contract will expire at the end of this season;

Lewis' salary for this season is $1.89 m i l l i o n, w i t h a s a l a r y o f$ 1.89million,withasalaryof2.22 million for the 2025-26 season and a team option worth $2.41 million for the 2026-27 season.

The Lakers officially announced the completion of the trade and welcomed Finney-Smith and Milton to the team. So far this season, Finney-Smith has averaged 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals, with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.5% (a career high, previously highest was 39.5% in the 2021-22 season), averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game. Throughout his career, Smith has played in 548 games, averaging 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 35.9%.

So far this season, Milton has appeared in 27 games for the Nets, starting once, averaging 18.2 minutes per game, scoring 7.4 points, grabbing 1.9 rebounds, and dishing out 2.4 assists, with a field goal percentage of 46.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of 38.9%. He has previously played for the 76ers, Timberwolves, Pistons, Knicks, and Nets throughout his career.

After this trade, the Lakers' team salary is more flexible, saving them $15 m i l l i o n i n l u x u r y t a x . A f t e r t h i s t r a d e, t h e L a k e r s^{'} t o t a l s a l a r y f o r t h i s s e a s o n i s$ 15millioninluxurytax.Afterthistrade,theLakers′totalsalaryforthisseasonis3.5 million away from the second richest line, while before this trade, their total salary was only $30,000 away from the second richest line. As of now, the Lakers have a record of 18 wins and 13 losses, temporarily ranking fifth in the West.

After the trade, American media predicted the Lakers' new starting lineup: Reeves, Christie, James, Smith, Davis. What do you think of this starting lineup? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment section.