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#3 D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell was selected by the LA Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Russell came into a Lakers team that was hungry to return to success and a lot was asked of the then 19-year-old.
In his two seasons with the franchise, Russell averaged 14.3 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds on 40.8% shooting from the field and 35.1% shooting from three. While some players in the late lottery of his draft have been more successful, D'Angelo performed promisingly for a young point guard.
Throughout this time, there was some noteworthy drama involving Russell, Nick Young and other members of the LA Lakers. It's unclear how much this led to the Purple and Gold's decision to move on from Russell, but the Brooklyn Nets were quick to capitalize on his availability.
In June 2017, Russell and Timofey Mozgov were traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and draft rights to Kyle Kuzma. Lopez will appear later on this list (sorry for the spoiler), but some of Russell's best years so far have come in Brooklyn.
He led the franchise to the playoffs in 2018-19 while scoring a team-leading 21.1 points along with 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds on 43.4% shooting from the field and 36.9% shooting from three. Those numbers, along with his team's success, were enough to allow Russell to secure his first and only All-Star appearance.
Russell, who is just 25 years old, still likely has his best basketball ahead of him while currently being a part of the Minnesota Timberwolves. I'd imagine there is a little more motivation when he faces off against the LA Lakers or Brooklyn Nets.
#2 DeAndre Jordan
While DeAndre Jordan may not have been more impactful to the Brooklyn Nets organization than D'Angelo Russell, he undeniably has had a better overall career.
Jordan, who recently signed with the LA Lakers, boasts an impressive resume with one All-Star appearance, three All-NBA selections and two All-Defensive selections. He also led the league in rebounding on two different occasions and field goal percentage five times over.
Jordan's role this upcoming season for the LA Lakers is still uncertain as he is notably slower than his prime now at 33. Yet, his athleticism hasn't fully evaporated and a nearly seven-footer with his strength should be able to contribute a few minutes on a nightly basis.
Jordan spent 10 seasons playing at Staples Center for the LA Clippers, so the building should be familiar to him, even if the court is a bit different and the banners will be uncovered.
#1 Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez was on the other side of the D'Angelo Russell deal between the LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. Lopez was an easy choice to be first on this list for a few reasons.
First, he is the all-time leading scorer for the Nets franchise with 10,444 total points tallied throughout his nine seasons with New Jersey and then Brooklyn Nets. During that time, Lopez made just one All-Star team but certainly had the case to be on a few more.
Lopez averaged upwards of 19 points in six of his nine seasons while being a clear focal point of the offense. In 2016-17, his final year with the Brooklyn Nets, he made a crucial addition to his game by shooting 34.6% from deep on 5.2 attempts a night. He attempted 387 total threes that season after shooting a grand total of 31 in the eight years prior.
When he was moved to the LA Lakers, it was clear that the Purple and Gold were intrigued by his leadership and mentoring abilities. Lopez's one season with the Lakers was short-lived, where he averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 46.5% shooting from the field and 34.5% shooting from downtown on 4.4 attempts per night.
Lopez would go on to join the Milwaukee Bucks in the summer of 2018 and recently won an NBA Championship with the franchise as their starting center.
Of all the current NBA players to play for both the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Lakers, it's hard to compare anyone else's resume to Brook Lopez's.
