Brooklyn Nets Came Close to a Reunion With D’Angelo Russell

Trade talks for the Los Angeles Lakers guard broke down before the trade deadline.

Jalen Green, who happened to turn things around in the second half of the regular season, was a player the Brooklyn Nets could have acquired. The Rockets gave the Nets a call inquiring about a trade involving Mikal Bridges, Jalen Green, and other first-round selections., but Brooklyn did not accept that arrangement. Not only was it possible to reclaim Brooklyn's first-round pick for the 2024 NBA Draft, but Green and Cam Thomas, two 22-year-olds, could have formed an intriguing backcourt to build on for years to come.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, the Nets also almost completed a sign-and-trade for D'Angelo Russell with the Los Angeles Lakers before the deadline, but once Spencer Dinwiddie was traded to the Toronto Raptors, those trade negotiations got shut down.

"Multiple sources say that before trading for Dennis Schröder, the Brooklyn Nets were in talks with the Lakers for Russell (with L.A. getting Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks)," said Pincus.

By signing and trading, the Lakers would have been hard-capped at the second apron and the Nets at the first. If Russell had opted out, Los Angeles' financial situation would have remained the same, but it would have to take into consideration any players who might have joined via trade. Several NBA insiders were unable to identify alternatives, so the Nets were not the sole sign-and-trade candidate for the Lakers at the time.

In addition to that, Russell has not rediscovered his former All-Star form that he found playing for the Nets previously. Although he knocked down the most threes by any Laker for one season, the Lakers guard was exposed in the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, with Russell getting outmatched by his matchup Jamal Murray.

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