The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly traded guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

ESPN’s Shams Charania provided the details, which included Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton’s return to Los Angeles:

After Russell signed on, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that the Lakers were expected to be aggressive in finding a trade partner.

Russell is an NBA veteran who spent two stints with the Lakers as well as time with the Nets, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

He was originally the No. 2 overall pick in the Lakers’ 2015 NBA Draft, but it wasn’t until he went to Brooklyn that he made his breakthrough, being named an All-Star this season for the first and only time in his career in 2018 /19 he averaged 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 made three-pointers and 1.2 steals per game.

The Lakers reacquired Russell in a trade with the T-Wolves in the 2022-23 season and he helped LA return to the Western Conference Finals.

Last season was one of the best of Russell’s career in terms of efficiency, as he averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 three-pointers per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and the best shooting rate of his career at 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.

In 29 appearances this season, Russell averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three assists.

Given Russell’s uncertain role and declining numbers, there has been much speculation about major changes to the Lakers’ roster and status over the course of this season.

With the Lakers sending Russell to the Nets, the supporting cast around James and Davis now looks very different.

Going forward, the guard will have the opportunity to put up big numbers again like he did in his first stint with Brooklyn, especially if he takes on a larger role for the remainder of the 2024-25 season before returning to free agency.