Wizards officially ties with $11.6 million Lakers castoff, former All-Star via six-team trade

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Wizards officially ties with $11.6 million Lakers castoff, former All-Star via six-team trade image

Jan 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at midcourt at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards were involved in a monster six-team trade that ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday night.

The Wizards sent a 30-year-old Los Angeles Lakers castoff and former All-Star to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the early July transaction, and on Wednesday, the deal became official.

“The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the team acquired center Isaiah Stewart from the Detroit Pistons, guard AJ Johnson from the Dallas Mavericks and guard D’Angelo Russell from the Washington Wizards in addition to securing a conditional future first round draft pick, three future second round draft picks and a future second round draft pick swap as part of a six-team trade that also included the LA (Los Angeles) Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks,” Memphis’ press release stated.

Russell’s career hasn’t gone the way he likely expected when he entered the league in 2015. Russell’s longest NBA stint lasted three seasons (Minnesota Timberwolves), signaling that the Ohio State product has struggled mightily to convince franchises to keep him around for the long haul.

For a minute, it appeared as though Russell’s second stint with the Lakers would be the one when he put it all together. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.4% from three-point land in 17 outings with Los Angeles and performed well to start the 2023 postseason.

However, Russell’s inconsistent play vs. the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals was the start of his eventual demise in Los Angeles (again). The Lakers traded Russell to the Brooklyn Nets during the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign, and, in all likelihood, the Louisville, Kentucky, native will continue to be a journeyman moving forward.

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