The Philadelphia 76ers indeed missed out on Dorian Finney-Smith, but that trade could open the door for another addition sometime down the line this season: D’Angelo Rusell.
Trading Finney-Smith for Russell further signals that the Brooklyn Nets want to rebuild. By that logic, there’s not much point in keeping Russell. Following the trade, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel wrote that Russell is a “prime buyout candidate.”
However, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Russell isn’t going anywhere. Scotto explained on his X account what the Nets plan to do with Russell.
“For those suggesting the Brooklyn Nets and D’Angelo Russell could consider a buyout, I’m told that’s not the case. DLo will come to Brooklyn for his second stint with the Nets after becoming an All-Star with the organization in 2019. Russell is on an expiring $18.69 million deal,” Scotto posted.
Russell experienced his most individual success as a player with the Nets, as he made his lone All-Star team back when he played for the team in 2019.
This might mean it just won’t happen right away
The Nets may not be so quick to buy out Russell because they have plenty of time to decide whether they’re better off keeping him.
The buyout deadline isn’t for a few months, so the Nets can take a step back and assess their situation before making a decision about Russell. While they’ll likely make more trades, Russell likely won’t get in the way of their tanking plans
They may also see if Russell can raise his value a bit to get a trade asset before the deadline. Although he has imperfections, Russell is not a bad player or overpaid for what he brings because he can score and make plays.
No matter how it shakes out, this is a situation the Sixers should pay close attention to.
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