Grade the trade: Lakers pivot, send D'Angelo Russell to Brooklyn in proposed deal

What a D'Angelo Russell trade to the Nets may look like:

D'Angelo Russell obviously won't be traded to the Brooklyn Nets by himself because there is no reason for the Nets to do that. Instead, the Lakers can couple Russell with other assets on the roster and can bring more players to Los Angeles as a result. Here is what the trade could look like:

This is not a big trade like the Murray deal but instead would be an example of the Lakers making a lateral move. On paper, the Lakers are getting two players who are on the same level as the players that they are trading away. But what is more important is the fit and future implications.

Dinwiddie is not a great defender but he is certainly better than Russell and he is less prone to be a distraction when he doesn't get his way in the flow of the offense. It is a lateral move at worst for the Lakers and has the potential to be more fruitful because of Russell's inconsistencies.

Royce O'Neale is also a similar player to Taurean Prince and would protect Darvin Ham from himself. Ham is infatuated with Prince and the Lakers need to change it up. In a perfect world, the Lakers would trade for O'Neale, give him 12 minutes or so less than Prince was getting and give those minutes to Rui Hachimura. That would make everyone more effective.

Hood-Schifino has to be in the deal to give the Nets some value in this trade alongside the future second-round pick that LA would send. The Lakers have two second-round picks in 2025 so trading one is not the end of the world.

Let's jump into some grades.