By ADAM ZAGORIA & JAKE WEINGARTEN
The Lakers have dealt D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, per The Vertical.
The Nets are getting their point guard of the future in Russell, the former No. 2 pick in the Draft, plus a solid big man in Mozgov, the former Knick who was involved in the Carmelo Anthony trade with Denver.
The Lakers, meantime, get rid of the $54 million on the Mozgov deal and also receive Lopez’s expiring contract of $22.6 million in 2017-18. As The Vertical points out, that paves the way for them to add Paul George and/or LeBron James in free agency in 2018.
The Lakers now own the Nos. 2, 27 and 28 picks on Thursday, while the Nets only have No. 22 in the first round. The Portland Trail Blazers also have three first-rounders.
The Lakers are projected to take UCLA guard Lonzo Ball at No. 2.
Photo: SNY.tv
