The Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a deal to land Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in a three-team trade also involving the Utah Jazz.
In the trade, the Timberwolves will receive guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and picks, while the Jazz will receive Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a lightly protected 2027 Lakers first-round pick.
Russell, 26, is averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, including 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
After a rocky start to the season combined with the loss of Karl-Anthony Towns to a calf strain in late November, Russell helped steady the ship and keep Minnesota in the mix of a competitive race in the middle of the Western Conference.
He’s averaging a career-high in field goal percentage, two-point percentage and free throw percentage this season. He’s also finishing at an elite rate — his 65.4% shooting on layups and dunks this season ranks in the top 10 among guards (minimum 125 field goal attempts.)
But with Russell heading into the final year of his deal and the continued emergence of Anthony Edwards, Minnesota decided to move in another direction.
Russell will be heading to his fifth team in eight years; he has yet to complete three seasons on the same team thus far in his NBA career.