D’Angelo Russell is on his way from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets for the second time in his career. Although in 2024, his trade is under significantly different circumstances than in the summer of 2017.
In 2017, Russell was traded in part as a money-saving maneuver to get away from the contract of Timofey Mozgov, but it was also in part because he had alienated himself in the locker room after some in-fighting with Lakers guard Nick Young. The Lakers felt Russell didn’t have the maturity to be the leader of a rebuilding roster.
In 2024, Russell’s trade comes with no negative feelings. It was purely a basketball move to make the roster more balanced and improve L.A.’s chances at making noise this postseason. Russell was a consummate professional in his second Lakers stint.
But some people, specifically Young, seem to have not moved past the issues that came about in Russell’s first L.A. tenure. After the trade was announced, Young took to social media to take an apparent shot at the veteran guard:
AND STAY OUT… Dnt bring yo ass back to LA
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) December 30, 2024
Of course, when it comes to posts like this, it could in theory be about anything. Perhaps Young is dealing with a different situation altogether. But given his history with Russell and the timing of the post, it feels extremely likely that this is a shot at his former teammate.
It’s still up for debate who was truly in the wrong between Russell and Young in their decade-old beef, but one thing is certain: Russell has grown up in the years since. The veteran guard has been tossed from team to team over the last few years, never turning his focus away from the work and doing what he could to make each team better.
He may still have some haters from his younger days — clearly Young still feels a certain way — but no one can deny the maturity that Russell has shown.
D’Angelo Russell excited for opportunity with Nets
After being traded by the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell now has a few months to show he is worth giving another major contract to with free agency looming. And he’ll have to do that on the rebuilding Nets, who have shown they are not in the business of winning games this season. Between Russell and Cam Johnson — where the bulk of the offensive load for Brooklyn will be — they’ll have plenty of opportunities to have the ball in their hands.
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