Warriors Trade D'Angelo Russell to Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and Draft Picks
By Karl Rasmussen
D'Angelo Russell's future in The Bay was up in the air from the moment he arrived at the team's facilities following the deal with the Nets. Trade talks involving the point guard had picked up steam this past week with the deadline looming, and on Thursday, the Warriors managed to offload D-Lo in a blockbuster of a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Russell will be sent to the T-Wolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins. Also heading to Minnesota will be Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman, while the Warriors will recoup a protected 2021 first-rounder and a 2021 second-round pick.
Golden State has agreed to trade D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for a deal that includes Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 protected first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Warriors will send Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to Timberwolves too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
Russell has produced well for the Warriors in 2019-20, averaging 23.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds while converting on 37.4% of his 3-point attempts. He'll take over as the starting point guard in Minnesota following this deal, taking the floor alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, who's been in desperate need of a boost.
As for Wiggins, he's putting up 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this year. Throughout the former No. 1 overall pick's career, analysts and fans (and even Jimmy Butler) have raised questions regarding his work ethic. Hopefully he can rewrite that narrative as a member of the Warriors.
Wiggins meshing with the likes of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry could have a positive impact on his game, keeping the ball out of his hands more frequently, and allowing him to get better looks on offense.
Timberwolves 2021 pick protected to No. 3, and becomes unprotected in 2022, per sources. Minnesota kept pushing for Russell, who it has wanted since summer free agency and finally got the point guard Gerssson Rosas imagined pairing with KAT. https://t.co/kfDNvsdBHX
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
The blockbuster deal could be the first of many to come prior to the door shutting on the NBA trade deadline. Russell's departure from the Warriors was long foreseen, but this trade still managed to stun the league, especially after talks broke down earlier in the week.