Lakers to trade D’Angelo Russell to Nets in four-player deal

Finney-Smith is one of the most sought-after three-and-D players on this year’s market and will bring versatility to a team that has been looking to improve its defense. He’s having one of the best shooting seasons of his career, connecting at 45.9 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from three-point range while averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20 games.

The 31-year-old forward is earning $14.9M this season and has a $15.4M player option for 2025-26 that he may be more likely to exercise if he’s part of a contending team in L.A. He could also decline the option and sign a longer deal with the Lakers.

Milton is signed through 2026-27, but only this season is guaranteed at $2.875M. His salaries of $3M for next season and $3.3M for the following year won’t become fully guaranteed until the summer before each season.

Russell has an $18.7M expiring contract, along with $700K in unlikely bonuses that will count toward the apron, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. Lewis is making $1.9M this year and has a $100K guarantee on his $2.2M salary for 2025-26.

Russell spent time with Brooklyn early in his career and reportedly didn’t part on great terms when he was traded to Golden State in 2019. He should be viewed as a potential buyout candidate, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

The Lakers were able to save some money in the deal and give themselves more flexibility under the second apron, Marks adds. They are currently within $30K of the second apron, but that number will rise to about $3.5M once the deal is finalized. It cost them three of the four second-round picks they had available to trade, but they still have first-rounders in 2027, 2029 and 2030 to offer in any future deals.

The Nets continue their rebuilding process after sending
Dennis Schroder to Golden State two weeks ago. They now project to have $65M in cap space this summer, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, which gives them more ammunition to pursue high-level free agents and still re-sign Cam Thomas. Their cap room had been projected at around $50M due to Finney-Smith’s player option.

Brooklyn will have 16 second-round picks and 15 first-rounders over the next seven years, Gozlan adds, giving it more draft equity than any other team. Taking on the extra salary leaves the Nets about $677 below the luxury tax for this season.

A report Saturday night from Mark Stein indicated that the Nets and Grizzlies were actively involved in discussions that would send Finney-Smith to Memphis in exchange for a package centered around John Konchar and Luke Kennard. Stein states that the Lakers were able to top that offer by giving Brooklyn three second-round picks.