What a D'Angelo Russell trade to the Raptors could look like:
The Lakers are going to look to avoid any additional tax apron penalties in a trade so the money is going to have to line up perfectly for a deal to happen. Thankfully for the Lakers, Brown costs nearly the exact same as a very specific package from the purple and gold:
Brown is making $22 million on his deal while the package of Russell and Jalen Hood-Schifino costs $20.9 million. The Lakers would be taking on just over $1 million in additional salary, which would keep the team from running into any tax apron trouble.
In a vacuum, the move from Russell to Brown may seem like a lateral one for the purple and gold. However, the team obviously has concerns about Russell's play and how it will translate to the playoffs, hence why he has been shopped at every turn. Brown has proven that he can thrive on the biggest stage as he just did it against the Lakers last season.
Jalen Hood-Schifino has to be thrown into the deal as an added asset as Russell is not going to be the best player Toronto wants in return. D'Lo is the best player right now, but JHS has more future value for the Raptors.
With Hood-Schifino included in the deal, the Lakers can probably get away with sending multiple second-round picks instead of a protected first or a pick swap. One of the three second-round picks could even be a pick swap if the Lakers want to really pinch pennies.
Both fanbases may feel some type of way about this potential trade, so let's dive into the grades for both teams.