Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting last season and is in the mix to win the award this season.

We've had our second big trade early in the window from the Brooklyn Nets, sending Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, which has kind of slowed and reset the market. But neither the Nets or Lakers are done dealing.

While many were calling for it, few realistically expected the Lakers to make a trade before the calendar even turned to 2025. However, even amidst the team’s best winning run of the season, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka pulled the trigger on a trade that centered around sending D’Angelo Russell back to Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith.