After the Los Angeles Lakers traded Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Nets last month in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, he dropped 22 points off the bench in his season debut with Brooklyn in a 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 1.

Russell of course is a two-time member of both the Lakers and the Nets, and was making his first return to Los Angeles since the team dealt him to Brooklyn last month. After missing the game winner, Russell took to X with a cryptic message that had Nets fans buzzing. “Muted emotion,” wrote Russell in his post.

Amid a five-game losing streak, the Brooklyn Nets owned an opportunity to end the skid on the same evening they honored one of the greatest players in franchise

Russell finished Saturday's 106-97 loss to Miami with 22 points (6-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 6-6 FT), one rebound, six assists, two blocks and two steals over 26 minutes.

As the calendar turned toward 2025, the Los Angeles Lakers made a bold roster move, trading D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for versatile forward Dorian Finney-Smith and sharpshooter Gabe Vincent.

Despite a close miss by D'Angelo Russell, the Nets lost to the Lakers 102-101 in what was supposed to be a revenge game for Russell, who had 19 points, six rebounds, and eight assists off the bench. Ziaire Williams had 15 points and Tosan Evbuomwan had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench to continue his impressive stretch for Brooklyn after being one of the team's recent Two-Way signings.

JJ Redick expects D'Angelo Russell to try to go at his former team when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and the Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-97 on Saturday night.

Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET at Barclays Center. Both are at an even 5-5 against one another since August of 2020, but likely not for long.

Russell (hamstring) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Heat, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports. Russell missed the 108-84 loss to the Suns on Wednesday, and the questionable tag suggests there might be a chance of the floor general missing yet another game.

Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell has expressed his appreciation for the team's playing style, emphasizing the freedom it affords him on the court. Reflecting on his experience, Russell stated, "Dude, I'll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted, again."