The Nets are going all in on a rebuild. First, they successfully offloaded Dennis Schroder in a blockbuster trade with the Warriors. Days later, they made another move, sending Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to the Lakers in exchange for D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis. As soon as the deal went through, speculations began that they would not keep D’Lo for too long and ship him to another team, especially because of his reported beef with GM Sean Marks! However, the executive might have shut down those rumors with his latest comments, potentially ending his feud with the former LA playmaker.

Turns out, Marks is excited to have D’Lo on his team again, “D’Lo the player, we’re accustomed to him, we’re used to him, we’ve been around him. He’s been in our family before. There’s a level of continuity just from familiarity w/ the person. So, bringing him back into this group, it’ll be exciting.”

Yes, this is Russell’s second stint in Brooklyn, as he was part of the team for two years early in his career. And the franchise holds a special place in his heart because he made his maiden All-Star team playing for the Nets when he averaged 21.1 points and 7 assists. However, things ended on a sour note between D’Lo and the Nets because Marks traded him to the Bay right after his All-Star season.

This wasn’t a speculation. Russell even revealed his frustration with the GM when he was asked if he would be extra motivated to face the Nets after being traded to Golden State, “Maybe if Sean Marks was in a jersey, then there’d be something different.”

But it looks like Sean Marks is ready to bury the hatchet with his newest acquisition, D’Lo, and his recent praise for the star guard hints that the Brooklyn side might not be prepared to trade him right now despite his $18.7 million expiring contract. As of now, the Nets’ GM’s focus is reportedly on trading Cameron Johnson, to continue the rebuilding process.

D’Angelo Russell “grateful” after getting traded by the Lakers, gets first start with the Nets

Backing the notion that D’Lo’s second stint in Brooklyn might be long-term, the former Laker got his first start for the Nets against the Bucks. Well, he replaced Ben Simmons as the starting guard because the former ROTY is out for tonight’s game. Moreover, D’Lo impressed everyone in his debut last night when he went off for 22 points and 8 assists, which might have won the front office’s trust.

Even though Marks is working towards a rebuild, he has not given up on this season just yet. During a recent interview, he revealed head coach Jordi Fernandez’s intentions for this season, “He made it very clear ‘I’m going to try and win every game.’ I said great, go for it. The goal isn’t to not compete. The goal is: go out there, develop a culture of competing, playing hard & playing the right way. And that’s what he’s done.” And D’Lo fits perfectly in this vision as he can help the Nets win more games.

Although leaving LA is a big shift for him, D’Angelo Russell is happy that he got traded to the Nets, “It’s a good feeling, honestly, to go back somewhere you’re comfortable. Somewhere, you kind of know the ins and outs a little bit. See some familiar faces. Kind of makes the process a little easier to adjust to. I’m just grateful for that.” So, was he not ‘comfortable’ in LA, then?

Well, hopefully, he has the same success with the franchise as he had the last time and returns to being an All-Star caliber player once again. Do you think D’Lo can do it?