Earlier this season, D’Angelo Russell was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets for the second time in his career. It was under much different circumstances this time, as no one was criticizing Russell on his way out the door and the trade was purely for basketball reasons. But it was another relocation for Russell, who has been unable to find solid ground with a team for more than a couple seasons at a time.
But the former Lakers guard seems to genuinely be enjoying his time with the Nets in 2025. He hasn’t been putting up the numbers he’s gotten used to, but he’s playing an important role helping a rebuilding team develop some of their younger pieces. For the first time, Russell is legitimately in a leadership role.
In the aftermath of the deal, Russell spoke about his feelings about the entire situation and now what he’s enjoying about playing for the Nets, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
“It’s great. I would never take it for granted, coming from where I came from. Obviously, I was a little traumatized there. To be here and get the opportunity to just be me where there’s familiarity as well is just icing on the cake. I’m at the point in my career where I’m not going out and scoring 25 points every night and wowing with numbers. It’s a point where I’m trying to gravitate towards doing it the right way, and how I can contribute to winning is my priority. He (Coach Fernandez) lets me do that. He trusts me already, so I can imagine getting to training camp for something like that and having that under my belt with the guys. I think the sky’s the limit.”
The Lakers absolutely needed to make the deal that sent Russell to Brooklyn, as Dorian Finney-Smith has been a massive boost for L.A. on the defensive end. And so far, the deal seems to have worked out for both sides, as Russell later said that he would love to stay in Brooklyn if they want him back.
Gabe Vincent: Lakers loss to Nets was an outlier
D’Angelo Russell played a major role in helping the Nets upset a shorthanded Lakers team on Monday night. But Gabe Vincent, who played one of his best games of the season against Brooklyn, was not concerned about how the loss might affect the team moving forward.
He sees it as an outlier performance for L.A., saying that they won’t repeat many of the same issues, especially once healthy.
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