Official Announcement! Lakers Complete a 5-for-2 Major Trade: Russell Abandoned Again, Pelinka's Divine Move
On December 30th, Beijing time, another major trade has been completed in the NBA trading market. This time, the Lakers are no longer bystanders but have successfully made a move to strengthen their team. They have reached a 5-for-2 trade with the Nets, successfully adding a new assistant to James and Davis, but Russell has once again been abandoned by the Lakers.
The specific trade plan is as follows: The Lakers send Russell, Lewis, and three future second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
This is absolutely unexpected, especially since previous news revealed that the Nets were negotiating a trade with the Grizzlies for Smith. Unexpectedly, the Lakers made a decisive move and directly "intercepted" the deal. The key point is that they did not even offer a first-round pick; they only used three second-round picks, which is still very worthwhile.
Among them, Russell has once again been abandoned by the Lakers. Last time, he was also sent to the Nets, marking the second time in his career that he joined the Nets. The first time was in 2017, after being sent to the Nets, Russell turned misfortune into good fortune, earning an All-Star selection with his outstanding performance. Currently, the Nets are still lacking a point guard, so it remains to be seen if he can seize the opportunity again. Russell is quite optimistic about returning to the Nets, after all, he has good memories there, averaging 19 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game representing the Nets.
The Lakers have also achieved their wish; they have always wanted to pursue a 3D player, and unexpectedly, they ended up getting Smith, which is definitely a super-value trade. So far this season, Smith has averaged 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds, with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.5%, making an average of 2.4 three-pointers per game. With Vanderbilt unable to play for a long time, Smith is exactly what the team needs, greatly enhancing the team's frontcourt depth while also improving the defense.
Lakers General Manager Pelinka has once again gained recognition. At the beginning of the season, he stated that he needed 30 games to evaluate the team's strength. Now that the Lakers have just played 31 games, they have strengthened the team through a trade. It must be said that Pelinka is still very strategic, helping the team well. This trade is also a divine move, successfully snatching Smith from the Grizzlies.