Two days before the NBA draft, the Brooklyn Nets traded longtime center Brook Lopez along with the 27th overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard D’Angelo Russell and center Timofey Mozgov, according to The Vertical.

The deal became official during the second-round of the draft on Thursday night.

It’s a great deal for the Nets, but a bittersweet one as well for fans who followed the team all the way back to when they played in New Jersey. Lopez stayed with with the Nets for his entire nine-year career and hoped to remain there until he retired. That dream is now over as he returns to his native Los Angeles to play for the Lakers.

In return, the Nets are receiving Russell, a 21-year-old point guard who has averaged 15 points and four assists during his first two seasons in the NBA.  The Lakers drafted him with the second overall pick in 2015.  His shooting and passing skills are a perfect fit for today’s NBA and will allow him to play freely in head coach Kenny Atkinson’s offense. He also possesses a ton of upside and there’s a chance he could develop into an All-Star caliber player one day.

Mozgov is a 31-year old center who is one year removed from helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA championship.

The Lakers are receiving a talented offensive center in Lopez, who leaves the Nets as the franchise all-time leading scorer, on an expiring contract. With Mozgov’s $48 million off the books, Los Angeles will have a chance to go after both LeBron James and Paul George next summer when they hit free agency.  There’s also a chance George could be traded to the Lakers this offseason.

It was another good deal for GM Sean Marks, who in the last two years has flipped Lopez and Thaddeus Young for Russell and Caris LeVert respectively.  Not bad for a man who inherited a team with no young talent and a bare draft cupboard.  The Nets loved Lopez, but I think both sides realized that he wasn’t going to be around when the Nets finally turn the corner in their rebuild and start competing.

The Nets were forced to swap picks with the Boston Celtics, and now neither team will make a pick with their original selections. Boston traded the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the No. 3 pick and a 2018 first rounder.

As of now, Brooklyn holds the 22nd (from Washington) and 57th overall selections in Thursday’s draft, which will be held at Barclays Center.