Latest On D'Angelo Russell Trade Talks Trending Towards Trade Deadline
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Since joining the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2019-20 season in a trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors, D’Angelo Russell’s fit has always been in question.
He played well in his limited time with the team that same season and Russell has not been terrible since, but his durability has always been a concern and his overall production has not been what it used to be alongside Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and now Rudy Gobert.
As of late, Russell has been playing well and has proven to be a key second option alongside Edwards, but he is now in the final year of his contract and there is a lot of talk about what the Timberwolves will be looking to do with him.
The trade deadline is set for February 9, giving Minnesota very little time to decide on whether or not to trade the former All-Star guard.
Now 26-years-old and turning 27 at the end of February, D’Angelo Russell may not be a max-contract player like he is getting paid right now, but he can still fill the gaps offensively for a team like the Timberwolves and he has proven that this season.
Long-term though, nobody really knows if Minnesota wants to tie themselves down to Russell, which is why trade discussions involving him have popped up.
In a recent episode of The Fast Break Podcast, NBA insider Michael Scotto from HoopsHype.com talked about D’Angelo Russell’s future in Minnesota and why he thinks the Timberwolves are just feeling out the market instead of actually wanting to trade Russell.
“With Russell, in a way, his expiring contract and more importantly, his salary spot, is one of Minnesota’s best ways to reshape this team. They just got Rudy Gobert and he is not going anywhere whether the trade is a sunken cost or not. That trade was an overpay and anyone would say that at this point. With D’Angelo as far as teams, I had touch on things with Miami and they had those talks originally around the G League Showcase in Las Vegas. There are a lot of teams out there that are being linked to point guards. The Los Angeles Clippers with Mike Conley and Fred VanVleet; I don’t know if I would see D’Angelo as a fit on that team. Phoenix, there has been some speculation about what they would do in a post-Chris Paul state, but when Chris Paul is healthy, he’s still one of the top point guards in the NBA. I would not necessarily say this is a fit for Russell either, even though he is best friends with Devin Booker. To me, this is really just Minnesota seeing what is out there, gauging his value and going from there.” - HoopsHype's Michael Scotto on The Fast Break Podcast
Making roughly $31.4 million this season, D’Angelo Russell is not only set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, but there are very few teams that would have the ability to free up this much money in cap space to acquire him right now.
This is where the biggest problem lies in terms of trading Russell and from the Timberwolves perspective, they cannot afford to lose his $30 million-plus contract slot, as Scotto alluded to.
A team cannot just create another max contract slot, which is why if the Timberwolves are to try and move on from D’Angelo Russell, this is likely a move that would come in the offseason in some sort of sign-and-trade type of deal.
Opposing teams not only have cap space and flexibility when it comes to the offseason, but doing a sign-and-trade deal allows the team taking on his contract to move different contracts freely without restrictions like the ones presented at the trade deadline.
The other possibility Minnesota faces is that they could just hold onto Russell and move forward with him as their point guard.
Jaylen Nowell is going to be a free agent and his future with the team is clouded at this point and Minnesota really does not have any depth behind D’Angelo Russell to replace him right now.
All indications at this point ahead of the trade deadline point towards the Timberwolves keeping Russell and figuring out his future in the offseason, but if a great deal comes their way, Minnesota will not be opposed to making a move involving the former second overall pick.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
