According to former NBA champion Jeff Teague, there’s no question about it—Russell is finally “free” from the shadow of LeBron James.Teague didn’t hold back when discussing the trade on the Club 520 Podcast.

D’Angelo Russell has played for numerous teams throughout his entire career. The teams include the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Brooklyn Nets.

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.

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.