Lakers Trade Rumors: L.A. Will Continue To Scour Trade Market

The Los Angeles Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round draft picks (2027, 2030, and 2031) to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton on Sunday. However, the Lakers are still looking for potential upgrades ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.

Lakers Trade Rumors: L.A. Has Three First-Round Picks, Two Second-Round Picks, And Three Pick Swaps To Trade

The Lakers may decide to use their first-round picks (2029, 2030, and/or 2031), but the team can trade only two of those — 2029 and 2031 — at most. They will likely pursue another trade deal in the weeks ahead as the trade deadline approaches, when the front office has a better gauge on its roster.

Russell started the first eight games of the season for the Lakers until coach JJ Redick changed the starting lineup after his team lost four out of five games.

Los Angeles also creates salary and luxury tax flexibility with this trade, saving a total of $15 million and moving $3.5 million below the second apron.

The Lakers 2027 second to Brooklyn is contingent on if they send their 2027 first to Utah.

If the first falls in the top-4 and not conveyed, Utah will receive the 2027 second. https://t.co/XPTHJ2YCgF

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 29, 2024

Finney-Smith has a $15.4 million player option for next season. Redick and Finney-Smith were teammates with the Mavericks during the 2020-21 season.

“But the plan, for now, is to see how Finney-Smith looks with the group, get their injured frontcourt players back (Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood) and continue to assess the roster as the deadline approaches,” Buha wrote.

The D’Angelo Russell trade stunned a number of NBA insiders and fans alike considering Russell had exercised his $18.69 million player option for this season in September, and the Lakers were able to make this strategic move without forking over a first-round pick.

Brooklyn Nets’ Asking Price For Dorian Finney-Smith Had Been A First-Round Pick

The Nets’ asking price for Finney-Smith had been a first-round pick dating back to last season, according to team and league sources. They recently dropped the asking price to a lottery-protected first.

In addition to the first-round picks, the Lakers have three pick swaps (2026, 2028, and 2030) and two second-round draft picks to trade. The latest trade essentially provides Los Angeles with a versatile 3-and-D player in Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith, 31, is shooting a career-high 43.5% from 3-point range this season and is a solid defender. He is also the only player in the NBA this season to defend guards, forwards, and centers each for at least 15 half-court matchups per game, according to Second Spectrum.

“With this trade, we are thrilled to add the physicality, toughness and elite shooting that Dorian Finney-Smith will bring to our core,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “We also greatly value the playmaking of Shake Milton. We are excited for our fans to get both of these players out on the court.”

Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Lakers’ 2027 second to Brooklyn is contingent on if they send their 2027 first to the Utah Jazz. If the first falls in the top four and not conveyed, Utah will receive the 2027 second.