A trade to the Brooklyn Nets this summer offers D'Angelo Russell a fresh start in his young NBA career after a difficult time in Los Angeles.

The Lakers shipped the point guard to New York along with Timofey Mozgov in exchange for center Brook Lopez.

Russell was the number two overall pick in the 2015 draft and was seen as a potential star player in L.A. but things didn't quite work out for him.

With hometown kid Lonzo Ball being drafted this year, the franchise decided to give him the reigns and move D'Angelo on.

The 21-year-old wasn't helped by the fact that the Lakers were not a competitive team but he endured some difficult moments personally.

Most notably he will be remembered for his social media video involving Nick Young that created a frosty relationship with fans and his teammates.

There has been a perception that Russell is a bad teammate, not only because of his antics off the court but also his play on it as he often doesn't make others around him better and can be difficult to play with.

After trading him to Brooklyn, Lakers president Magic Johnson explained his reasons saying: “I needed somebody also that can make the other players better and also [somebody] that players want to play with.”

In an interview with ESPN's Zach Lowe, however, the young guard dismissed this notion and wants to prove it with the Nets.

“I think guys enjoyed playing with me,” Russell said. “Now I’m going to make sure they do instead of not really taking it into consideration.”

In this current NBA, Russell has the ability to become a star on the offensive end with his shooting ability.

With a huge emphasis of the game on the three-point shot, 'D-Lo' is a good shooter from beyond the arc.

So far he has only shown this in flashes but he should get more of an opportunity to showcase his talents at the Barclays Center as he'll be the team's main offensive weapon.

The Nets are hoping that he can become the centrepiece of the team and potentially develop into a franchise player in the Big Apple.

With Jeremy Lin also on the roster, Russell is likely to play as a shooting guard but the duo should be able to alternate ball-handling responsibilities.

The Ohio State product will have a lot to prove this season and is likely to play with a chip on his shoulder which Brooklyn hope will translate to good performances on the court.