Thus far, the Lakers have not been able to improve their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But would Los Angeles’ ability to acquire some assistance depend on a hypothetical Brooklyn Nets/D’Angelo Russell reunion?

The Lakers have focused their attention on Chicago Bulls player DeMar DeRozan after failing to sign Klay Thompson. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, LeBron has stated that he is willing to accept less money in order to improve the team, but time may be running out:

“LeBron James has reportedly stated that he is willing to accept a lower salary in order to help Los Angeles bolster a roster that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, but it appears that James’ window of opportunity to sign a new contract is closing. According to insiders, Los Angeles might need to cooperate with a third team to offload some salary in order for the Lakers to sign DeRozan, such as D’Angelo Russell or Gabe Vincent. According to insiders, the Nets have expressed interest in having Russell return to Barclays Center since the most recent trade deadline.

The Lakers traded Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez during the 2017 summer.

Russell was a member of the Nets for two seasons, averaging 19 points and 6.3 assists per contest. In 2019 as part of the Kevin Durant trade, he was dealt to the Golden State Warriors.

The Nets would probably ask the Lakers for draft compensation in order to assume Russell’s salary. However, it’s unclear exactly what would constitute a three-team contract at this time.

After trading Mikal Bridges, the Nets are rebuilding.

Less than twenty-four hours before the 2024 NBA lottery took place this past week, the Nets shockingly moved veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic and many lottery picks to the New York Knicks in return for rising sensation Mikal Bridges. The Bucks will give Brooklyn a top-four protected first-round pick in 2025 in addition to four unprotected first-round selections from the Knicks in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031. In exchange for Bridges, New York is also sending Bogdanovic, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 unprotected pick to Brooklyn.

The Nets are closing up a deal with the Houston Rockets that includes a number of draft assets in addition to this one with the Knicks. A number of picks that Brooklyn originally gave up when they acquired James Harden from Houston in 2021 are included in this enormous deal. In addition, Houston obtains the 2025 rights to exchange their own or the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025 first-round pick for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick via Brooklyn. The Nets are giving the Suns’ 2027 first-round picks to the Rockets in exchange for their own 2026 first-round pick back.

The Nets are a pretty ordinary club in the Eastern Conference and have been since they gave up on challenging for a title with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Despite how excellent Bridges has been, the Nets were unable to build around him, which is why Tuesday night’s blockbuster trade that sends Bridges to the Knicks occurred.

The Brooklyn Nets have started their rebuilding process, selecting young players in the 2025 NBA Draft to guide them into the future.