The Los Angeles Lakers interrupted a quiet, post-Christmas Sunday with news of a trade that could charge their chase for a playoff spot.

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the D'Angelo Russell-for-Dorian Finney-Smith swap with the Brooklyn Nets:

Charania later shared that the specific picks are the Lakers' "own second-round picks in 2027, 2030 and 2031."

At first glance, it feels like a clear win for the Lakers, but they're not the only ones on the winners-and-losers ledger today.

Below, we'll look at those in both categories.

Loser: Nets' First-Round Pick Stash

It feels like DFS has been in trade rumors for about as long as he's been with the Brooklyn Nets. (He went there via trade during the 2022-23 season.)

He's a solid, low-volume three-and-D forward. And this season, he's playing as well as he ever has in a Brooklyn uniform.

In 20 appearances, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 threes and 0.9 steals in just 29.0 minutes, while converting 43.5 percent of his three-point attempts.

So, it's no surprise the Nets were hoping for better draft compensation in exchange for the wing. Just a day prior, they were reportedly "known to be seeking" a first-round pick for DFS from the Memphis Grizzlies.

In a very literal sense, failing to achieve that is a loss.

But it's not a big one, especially since the Nets reportedly turned down an offer that included a first (more on that later).

Russell is on an expiring contract. He'll presumably leave the Nets in free agency this summer, opening up some cap and roster flexibility. And given the age of LeBron James and the injury woes of Anthony Davis, any of those second-rounders could be pretty close to the first round.

Winner: Shake Milton

Nets guard Shake Milton may seem like a throw-in for this deal. And he may prove to be just that. But trading Russell for a wing could create a bit of a need for guard depth. And though catch-all numbers haven't loved Milton this season, they do suggest he's been better than Laker Gabe Vincent.

Milton averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.0 threes in just 18.2 minutes for Brooklyn this season. He's hit 38.9 percent of his three-point attempts.

There's at least a chance the 28-year-old could come to L.A. and help the second unit a little more than Vincent, who's shot just 27.6 percent from three over his 42 career games with the Lakers.

Loser (for Now): D'Angelo Russell

There's an argument that this is a win for Russell. He's going to a team in the middle of a rebuild-centric fire sale. He will be able to play and shoot a ton for Brooklyn. That may boost his value a bit ahead of free agency this summer.

But by now, the book is sort of out on Russell. Regardless of role, he's a decent distributor and playmaker out of the pick-and-roll. He's been a solid three-point shooter for much of his career, too. However, those positive traits are often outweighed by poor shot selection and sometimes nonexistent defense (both on and off the ball).

The shortcomings are a big part of why he's heading from one of the league's cornerstone franchises and a possible playoff team to a tanker in the weaker conference.

Winner: Lakers

If the Lakers are rebuilding post-LeBron when those three second-round picks start conveying, fans may look back on this deal with a hint of regret. But this is what you must do with a win-now roster that includes two all-time greats.

Getting an obvious fit like DFS is a short-term win. He doesn't demand a ton of touches or ball-handling opportunities, which should redirect some of both to LeBron and Austin Reaves (both better and more reliable playmakers than Russell).

He's spent much of his career as a reliable catch-and-shoot target for ball-dominant creators.

And most importantly, he's a clear defensive upgrade for a team that's currently ranked in the bottom half of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions.

This is also, in a way, a win for LeBron. It's a vote of confidence in the superstar who's carried the franchise for seven seasons despite his 40th birthday being Dec. 30.

The Lakers may not be in this season's top tier of title contenders, but James has earned the franchise's effort to get there before he walks away. This move gets the Lakers a bit closer. And they still have multiple firsts to trade if another potential move presents itself before February's deadline.

Loser: Grizzlies

Shortly after the news of this deal broke, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto shared how close the Memphis Grizzlies came to landing DFS.

For a team that was looking for a first for Finney-Smith, declining that package may be a little curious. But you have to figure Memphis' 2025 first will be toward the end of that round. Valuing three future seconds over that isn't crazy.

And while the Grizzlies don't need to panic about losing this particular trade race, they would've been pretty scary with DFS' three-and-D prowess in lineups with Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.

They're still, at the very least, fringe contenders. But this move could've erased the "fringe" from that sentence.