D’Angelo Russell chimes in on trade between Eastern Conference contenders

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to weigh in on a deal between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Patrick Beverley later responded to Russell in an endearing manner.

The 76ers traded Beverley to the Bucks in exchange for guard Cameron Payne as well as a second-round pick.

The Bucks traded for one of the better defenders at the point guard spot in the NBA in Beverley. He has received three All-Defensive nods during his time in the NBA and averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 47 appearances with Philadelphia this season.

Milwaukee was in need of an addition like Beverley to help the team from a defensive standpoint. The Bucks currently rank 18th in the NBA in defensive rating.

As for the 76ers, they acquired a proven bench scorer in Payne. He averaged 6.2 points per game with the Bucks during the 2023-24 regular season and shot 45.5 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from deep.

In his final game with Milwaukee before getting dealt, Payne dropped 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals across 23 minutes of playing against his former team in the Phoenix Suns back on Feb. 6.

Both the Bucks and 76ers have had difficulty adding to their win totals lately. Philadelphia is riding a three-game losing streak, while the Bucks have lost their last two games.

The absence of star big man Joel Embiid has played a role in the 76ers’ struggles of late. Embiid has been sidelined ever since he logged 30 minutes of playing time against the Golden State Warriors back on Jan. 30. He had a forgettable game in Philadelphia’s 12-point loss, considering he scored just 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from 3-point range.

It’s far too early to determine the winner of the trade between the 76ers and Warriors that occurred on Thursday, but the Bucks arguably acquired the best player in the deal in Beverley.