NBA Trade Grades: Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell to Nets for Brook Lopez

Los Angeles Lakers

On the surface, this seems like a boneheaded move from the Lakers. Giving up on Russell’s potential is a risky move, especially since the chip that’s now on his shoulder is only going to motivate a young talent most known for having “ice in his veins.”

However, according to ESPN‘s Chad Ford, the market for Russell wasn’t particularly encouraging, and when teams selecting in the lottery weren’t interested, Brook Lopez and a very late first-rounder became the best they could do in a crunch.

The real value of this deal comes with not only getting Mozgov’s contract off the books, but what the Lakers plan to do with that cap space, as Woj explains:

Trading the team’s main point guard obviously clears the way for Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka to take UCLA’s Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the draft. He was probably their man all along, but Josh Jackson entered the mix for awhile there. With Russell gone, it all but assures Ball and his exceptional passing abilities will be heading to Hollywood.

As for the cap space, though the Lakers were discussing trade options for Paul George to add him immediately, they refused to offer Brandon Ingram or the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, per ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne.

For a team that can simply wait until free agency next summer with the knowledge that George wants to sign with his hometown Lakers, it makes sense they were unwilling to budge there.

There is risk there, however, aside from the obvious scenario where D’Angelo Russell becomes a star point guard. Not trading for George now means he’ll probably play for another team next year, since the Indiana Pacers have to move him and get whatever they can for their franchise superstar.

The most likely outcome is PG-13 is a one-year rental for a contender like the Cleveland Cavaliers, but there’s a chance the allure of winning and playing with other star talent convinces him to spurn the Lakers in free agency and re-up with whatever team lands him in a trade.

Related Story: 5 potential Paul George trades

That’s why the Lakers entered the trade market for George, and though this trade frees up the cap space to sign him next summer — and potentially make a move for LeBron James, who’s been rumored to be considering a migration west in 2018 free agency — it could very well come back to bite L.A. if Ball never pans out or if they’re unable to land the big fish they’re preparing to reel in.

However, we should also note that according to ESPN‘s Marc Stein, the Lakers aren’t ready to give up on a trade to secure Paul George if they can put their newest asset to good use — all while keeping Ingram and the No. 2 pick:

In the short-term, Brook Lopez is a nice pickup at center who should make next season more entertaining. He and Ball may even improve the Lakers enough to avoid that 2-5 range in next year’s draft lottery, which is unwanted territory since their 2018 first-rounder would go to their rival Boston Celtics if it lands there.

Then, next summer, Lopez comes off the books and the Lakers have plenty of cap room to work with in their pursuit of King James and PG-13.

If the Lakers manage to land their free agency targets next summer, we’ll have to retroactively bump up the grade for this deal, but for the time being, shipping off a misunderstood player with talent like D’Angelo Russell for such a meager package is underwhelming.

We also can’t ignore that the Lakers had to include a former No. 2 overall pick to get Mozgov — the atrocious first signing of the 2016 NBA free agency period — off the books less than a year later.

This is a defendable deal for the Lakers, who can add a possible franchise point guard in Ball, ship off a player who underwhelmed in his first two seasons, and create cap space/alternative trade offers for Paul George. It could also very easily blow up in their faces if that PG-13/LeBron pairing turns out to be a pipe dream.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft - 5 possible draft-day trades we want to see

Grade: B