With limited options available for roster improvement, a flier on D’Angelo Russell may be worth exploring
Desperate for some good news? Brian Windhorst of ESPN floated the notion that the Golden State Warriors may be interested in using some sort of sign and trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets in order to land D’Angelo Russell.
Russell doesn’t make a lot of sense next to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but since Thompson is expected to be out at least through the All Star break... maybe this makes sense?
.@WindhorstESPN breaking down how Warriors could complete a sign & trade for D'Angelo Russell. pic.twitter.com/AlmaUFPaMY
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) June 30, 2019
Fit aside, this does seem like one of the only avenues available to the Warriors to add another All Star tier player. As Windhorst points out in the clip above, Russell is heavily rumored to be headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, assuming the Warriors could entice him to come to Golden State, the Nets and Warriors could conceivably put together some sort of sign and trade deal.
Durant, according to the rumor mill, seems at least open to the possibility:
There's a possibility Kevin Durant will engage in a sign-and-trade swap with Golden State and Brooklyn, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2019
For Russell, the appeal would be a bit less clear. Though a combo guard like him would certainly thrive within the Warriors offense, I am having a hard time imagining that this would be his dream scenario while chasing a big free agent contract. On the other hand, if the Los Angeles Lakers offer dries up, and the T’Wolves go in another direction, this could be a nice safe way for Russell to get a big contract in a place that he knows will set him up for on court success.
For the the Warriors, the appeal here may go beyond just “what can we get?”
Long searching for another combo guard (a role Durant filled well, of course), Russell would immediately answer a lot of needs that we already know this roster is going to have next season. And with plenty of minutes and usage, it’s likely that Russell would shine brightly here. Finally, though it’s smaller, a 5-man unit consisting of Klay Thompson, Curry, and Russell spacing the floor while Draymond Green and Kevon Looney man the middle would be a handful to contain.
We are just about an hour and a half into the free agency period. Stay hydrated and hopeful out there, Dub Nation!
