Lakers win big in trade for Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton

In a surprising midseason shake-up, the Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Nets on Sunday in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. This move provides Los Angeles with a versatile three-and-D wing and a dependable backup point guard without sacrificing a first-round pick. Additionally, the trade enhances the team’s financial flexibility for potential moves later this season. 

This deal represents a significant upgrade over Russell, defensively and in terms of roster balance for the Lakers. 

Russell was a glaring defensive liability for L.A. this season, allowing opponents to shoot 49.4% from the field against him — the second-worst mark among the team’s rotation players. His defensive shortcomings were compounded by averaging just 2.7 contested shots per game — roughly half of what Austin Reaves and Max Christie generate in comparable minutes — while contributing a modest 2.8 rebounds per contest.

Offensively, Russell also struggled, scoring only 12.4 points per game on 41.5% shooting from the field and posting a 53.7% true shooting percentage — better than only Gabe Vincent among the Lakers’ regular rotation players. This season, Russell has been a shoot-first guard who has struggled with inefficiency, lacked consistency and often appeared disengaged on both ends of the floor.

In place of Russell, the Lakers add Finney-Smith, one of the NBA’s premier three-and-D wings. Though the Nets frequently misused the 6-foot-7 forward this season — assigning him to defend bigger players like Jaren Jackson Jr. (56.7 possessions), Giannis Antetokounmpo (39.2 possessions), and Nikola Jokic (32.6 possessions), which skewed some of his defensive metrics — Finney-Smith has excelled when matched up against guards and wings. He’s held Donovan Mitchell to 20.0% shooting, Jayson Tatum to 33.3% and Jamal Murray to 20.0% this year, among others.

Digging deeper, Finney-Smith is far more than just a strong one-on-one defender. He’s solid on the boards for his size, boasting a career average of 8.2 rebounds per 36 minutes. His ability to close out on shooters is also elite, particularly on the three-point line. This season, he’s held opponents to just 35.2% shooting from the coveted corner-three spot — the best mark among all Nets rotation players and one that would rank third on the Lakers.

Offensively, Finney-Smith is one of the top long-distance marksmen in the association, ranking 21st in three-point shooting at 43.5%. Beyond his perimeter game, Finney-Smith is also one of the league’s best transition finishers, averaging 1.35 points per possession in the open court — placing him in the 88th percentile league-wide.

Milton, the other player joining the Lakers, is far from a mere throw-in. While he’s been traded five times over the past season and a half, Milton was a reliable presence in the 76ers’ rotation from 2018 to 2023, providing consistent scoring and playmaking off the bench. At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, he has the prototypical size to defend opposing point guards effectively. 

There’s a strong case to be made that Milton is an immediate upgrade over the Lakers’ current backup point guard, Vincent. Although Vincent has shown improvement recently, he’s still averaging just 4.3 points per game on 33.0% shooting from three this season, leaving room for Milton to make a significant impact.

The Lakers, winners of six of their last eight games, currently sit at 18-13, holding 5th place in the highly competitive Western Conference despite underwhelming play from Russell on both ends of the floor. With this trade, L.A. has addressed two critical needs by acquiring one of the league’s premier three-and-D wings in Finney-Smith, bolstering their perimeter defense and three-point shooting, and adding a reliable scoring guard in Milton to energize their bench. These upgrades position the Lakers to strengthen their roster and make a serious push to climb even higher in the standings.