The Los Angeles Lakers and D'Angelo Russell are both ready for what their futures hold for them, parting ways this summer in a shocking trade. 

The waves have calmed down, but the Lakers trading Russell to the Brooklyn Nets remains as one of the most surprising things that's happened this summer. He was once set to be the face of the franchise, but the Lakers decided it was time to move on. 

Russell, who still lives in Los Angeles, sat down with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN for a 30-minute interview on The Woj Pod. The two discuss just about everything they possibly could regarding the trade, along with D'Angelo's past with the Lakers and future with the Nets.

Perhaps most telling from Russell was the fact that he wasn't surprised at all that the Lakers traded him. D'Angelo explained to Wojnarowski that, as he looked at the future of the Lakers and where he fit in it, he had already concluded there was a very high chance he'd be traded in a salary dump. 

“Honestly, I put myself in their positions, the guys that were making the decisions around there. They gotta get rid of some talent to get off those contracts and stuff like that, so I put myself in that position and I was wondering who could it possible be.

"Basically just looking in the mirror and I knew I could possibly be in that position, so I just looked in the mirror and made that conclusion and it happened. Prior to it happening I kind of expected it,” Russell said. 

Considering the trade came out of nowhere, it's surprising to hear how clear a vision Russell had regarding what came next for him once the season ended. That's in part because of the fact the Lakers' new front office wasn't the one that drafted him. 

That's one of the reasons D'Angelo felt he never quite understood what his place was in the franchise with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka at the helm. 

"I didn't have a clear picture. They didn't draft me so it's all different, and you see just around the league when specific GMs don't draft you, they're ready to get rid of you or use you as a tool. I really didn't know. I had a relationship before Magic was the GM with them, and obviously that changes, but I never knew.

"I was going in every day just trying to be tunnel vision with it and just work hard, and whatever they decided to do with me was whatever," Russell said. 

Russell is looking forward to a structure and environment he called "way different," and there's a pretty good chance this will be the last we hear about the infamous trade.