Shortly after the news broke on June 22 that the Nets had acquired D'Angelo Russell, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, from the Lakers as part of a deal for Brook Lopez, Stony Brook basketball coach Jeff Boals sent a congratulatory text to Russell. Within minutes, Russell, who previously was recruited by Boals to play one year at Ohio State, contacted his former coach.
"The minute it popped up that he was getting traded to the Nets, he FaceTimed me," Boals said, "and he was really, really excited to come to Brooklyn."
After two sometimes turbulent seasons with the Lakers, Russell clearly was ready for a dramatic change of scenery. His reasons were clear after Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson delivered a parting shot in which he questioned Russell's maturity and said he didn't make the players around him better.
With the rebuilding Nets, Russell senses the opportunity to put down roots and build a brighter future within the nurturing environment general manager Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson are trying to create.
"You could easily be thrown into a situation in the league that doesn't help yourself," Russell said recently in an interview with Newsday. "I feel like this situation is perfect for me, a young guy in the league, trying to find myself, and I'm going to get a lot of opportunity here. So that's all you can really ask for. I just want to make it home. I don't plan on getting traded (again) anytime soon. It's not up to me. It's always a business, but I want to make this my last stop, if possible."
