After two years of inactivity, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka faced mountains of scrutiny due to not improving the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
However, Pelinka finally ended the drought by trading for Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, which brought in a much-needed 3-and-D wing to rebalance the roster for the time being.
Leading up to this transaction, reports said that the Memphis Grizzlies were seemingly going to trade for Finney-Smith. But, Pelinka stepped up and acted fast to reach an agreement with Nets general manager Sean Marks, sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks.
Marks would go on to speak out about Brooklyn’s decision to do business with the Lakers, commending Pelinka for quickly building a framework to get a deal done, via YES Network:
“This particular trade came around really quickly, you know. It was one of those things, obviously, having discussions with multiple teams as teams do at this particular point in the year. So, that’s not out of the ordinary. But, the deal with the Lakers is probably a total of half a day, 12 hours, something like that, from start to finish. So, give Rob [Pelinka] and the Lakers a lot of credit for you know, coming to the table. And this particular trade gives us what we need in long-term. We’ve talked about building long-term sustainable success and that’s where we want to get to. And how we are going to do that is through these future draft picks and draft assets that we get.”
The narrative up to this point is that L.A. does not acquire the players that have been rumored to potentially be traded there. It is great to see Pelinka come through and bring in a player that they have been linked to for a few years now.
Finney-Smith provides the needed toughness and willingness to do the little things with Jarred Vanderbilt sidelined. Now, after a few games in the purple and gold, Finney-Smith has showcased that defensive upside and provides an intriguing piece to the Lakers’ puzzle as they look to contend in a crowded Western Conference.
Rob Pelinka releases statement on trade of D’Angelo Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith
It did not take long for it to become obvious that the Lakers needed personnel changes. Thankfully, Rob Pelinka acted fast to make the first of hopefully multiple deals before the trade deadline chatter heated up.
After this surprising move became official, Pelinka released a statement thanking D’Angelo Russell for his services and discussing what Dorian Finney-Smith adds to the team.
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