The Brooklyn Nets are in serious need of a change in fortunes and quickly if they are to reach the playoffs this season.
Sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 13-21 record the side needed to make some moves to break their early-season slump.
They recently lost one of their star players Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors but have so far been able to keep hold of Cam Thomas despite trade interest.
The side recently reacquired the services of D’Angelo Russell, from the Los Angeles Lakers, who made his debut in the 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
The deal to bring Russell to the Nets seemed to move quickly and General Manager Sean Marks has revealed how the deal took place.
While many trade deals and rumors seem to rumble on for weeks and months with very little movement it seems the Nets like to get their business done.
The move that saw Schroder join the Warriors was completed in a flash and their latest trade with the LA Lakers also came somewhat out of the blue.
Lakers get:
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Shake Milton
Nets get:
- D’Angelo Russell
- Maxwell Lewis
- Three future 2nd-round picks
Other trades such as Jimmy Butler’s potential exit from the Miami Heat and LeBron James’ uncertain future at the Lakers have rumbled on for weeks.
The Nets were eager to bring D-Lo back to the side following the exit of Schroder to try and boost their chances of rising the league to secure a playoff spot. GM Marks has revealed just how quickly the deal was sorted with the Lakers.
Speaking to YES Network Marks said: “This particular trade came around really quickly, it was one of those things where we were obviously having discussions with multiple teams as teams do at this point in the year. The deal with the Lakers took 12 hours maybe, something like that from start to finish.”
Marks went on to reveal what benefit the trade gave them: “This particular trade gives us what we need long-term and we’ve talked about building long-term sustainable success and that’s what we want to get to. How we’re going to do that is through these future draft picks and draft assets that we get.”
Russell spent two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets from 2017-2019 where in his final season he was averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
The return of Russell could help former college teammate Ben Simmons find a much-needed return to form, something the Nets would love.
Russell’s return with Marks still with the franchise has raised some eyebrows after some previous comments he made about the GM.
However, it appears to be long forgotten for Marks who was full of excitement for the return of D-Lo.
He said: “Talking to D-Lo in the last 24/48 hours I know he’s excited to be back here and I think there’s something to be said about the continuity of knowing what you’re getting into. He’s familiar and there’s still some familiar faces around here and we’re welcoming him back with open arms.
“He’s a heck of a talent and he’s not only got an opportunity for himself here but he has the ability to make a lot of players better and D-Lo’s got a great opportunity that lies ahead of him for the rest of the season.”
Russell will be looking to help the team build on their latest win over the Milwaukee Bucks when they face a struggling Philadelphia 76ers in their next game.
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