The Lakers pulling off a trade in December had everyone surprise, including those around the NBA.
While many were calling for it, few realistically expected the Lakers to make a trade before the calendar even turned to 2025.
However, even amidst the team’s best winning run of the season, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka pulled the trigger on a trade that centered around sending D’Angelo Russell back to Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith.
It’s a deal that surprised everyone, including those around the league. On Sunday evening, longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote in his Substack that many were caught off guard by the deal.
The Lakers didn’t just beat out the Grizzlies in the Finney-Smith race.
They surprised many league observers who, in recent days, were expecting the Lakers to chase after a different veteran twosome: Washington’s Jonas Valančiūnas and Malcolm Brogdon.
Finney-Smith obviously can’t provide the bulk, screening and frontcourt know-how that Valančiūnas offers, but he is a highly regarded multi-positional defender shooting a career-high 43.5% from 3-point range this season.
As Stein notes, one of the main reasons it was a surprise was that it seemed like the Grizzlies were closing in on DFS. However, the Lakers seem to have come in at the 11th hour to swipe him from under Memphis’ nose.
One of the reactions to the deal from non-Lakers fans involved why the Nets would take multiple seconds instead of the first that the Grizzlies were reporting offering. Stein also explained the logic behind Brooklyn’s decision.
The first-round pick that the Nets were seeking from the Grizzlies was going to be heavily protected. One league source says it was a top-17-protected pick from Memphis in the upcoming June draft. Brooklyn decided to take three second-round picks (two unprotected) from the Lakers instead ... increasing their stockpile of second-rounders over the next seven years (from the 2025 draft through 2031) to a whopping 16.
A deal with Memphis would have required Brooklyn to send a second-round pick or two to the Grizzlies and take on some salary. The Nets gave up nothing in the deal they ended up doing with the Lakers beyond Finney-Smith and Shake Milton ... neither of whom was in the team’s future plans.
Under the current CBA, having players on cheap contracts is of great value in the new NBA. From that standpoint, it also makes sense why the Nets might have valued multiple second round picks more.
The timing of this deal also is what makes it advantageous for the Lakers. They will now have time to evaluate this new-look roster before the trade deadline.
While it seems obvious to do a deal this time of year if possible, it’s rare to have multiple teams willing to do so in December. Fortunately, the Lakers find a partner to tango with and will reap the benefits as a result.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
