When the Los Angeles Lakers elected to send D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, the reaction wasn’t one of pure shock. After all, the franchise was reasonably focused on ridding itself of the mistake that is Mozgov’s exorbitant contract, and with Lonzo Ball now in the fold (after an assumption to that end when the trade was consummated), Russell’s fit may have been perilous with the team that originally drafted him out of Ohio State.
Still, it is almost always a difficult and surprising situation for a young and talented player when he is traded, and one might assume that Russell could have been less than thrilled. But on the New York area sports show Joe & Evan on WFAN, Russell expressed a very different sentiment. In fact, he said the following about his first reaction to being dealt, via Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily.
“I was excited,” Russell said. “I was excited to get a new opportunity to start over, but it definitely caught me off guard. You see guys get traded you never think it would have to be you until it does. New step for me.”
In the process of the interview, though, Russell did change his tune on the previous comments from Lakers front office executive and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Following the trade, Johnson criticized Russell in indicating he wasn’t a leader, and that clearly bothered the youngster at the time. Now, he is cooling off with regard to that overall sentiment.
“I mean, it is what it is,” Russell stated plainly. “They’re the Lakers, we’re the Nets. There is nothing we can control over there and there is nothing they can control over here. I don’t really like looking back and speaking on that. There’s nothing to really bring about.”
Russell, who is still quite young and immensely talented, has every reason to be excited about his new opportunity, even if the Nets may not be playoff-bound in his first season with the club. Brooklyn clearly displayed affection for his talents in making the trade (and taking on Mozgov in the process), and Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has a very strong reputation for developing guards during his time as an assistant around the league.
It remains to be seen as to whether Russell can hit the ceiling that many projected for him upon arrival in L.A., but he certainly doesn’t appear to be upset about the deal that sent him elsewhere and the opportunity to “start over.”
