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Three years after leaving the Golden State Warriors in a trade that helped set up a title run, D’Angelo Russell could be on the move again.
The Warriors landed Russell in a 2019 sign-and-trade deal that sent free agent Kevin Durant and a protected first-round draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell was expected to play a significant role in Golden State after Steph Curry’s injury, but his tenure was short as the Warriors moved him in February 2020, shipping him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that sent Andrew Wiggins and a 2021 first-round pick to the Warriors.
With Russell nearing the end of his four-year, $117-million deal, he could be hitting the trade block yet again.
Miami Heat Interested in D’Angelo Russell
As Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported, Russell and the Timberwolves have not made much progress in talks for a contract extension and he is rumored to be on the block as the February trade deadline approaches. Fischer reported that the Miami Heat have shown interest, though it’s not clear what shape the deal would take.
The Heat are looking to unload guard Kyle Lowry and may want him to be part of the deal, Fischer reported.
“The Heat have in fact registered interest in Russell, sources told Yahoo Sports, but a direct deal for Lowry would appear unlikely,” he wrote. “Lowry is just a few months away from entering the final season of his own contract worth roughly $30 million in average annual salary, and it’s hard to imagine Wolves officials being eager to extend the aging guard another exorbitant payday when he becomes extension eligible this summer — putting Minnesota in the exact situation it faced with Russell last July.”
There could be other options for the Timberwolves if the deal with the Heat doesn’t come to fruition. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Minnesota has been exploring trade possibilities and have expressed interest in Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr.
D’Angelo Russell’s Veiled Shot at Warriors
Russell didn’t seem too keen on the idea of moving again. He has already been traded three times in his career, which started with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015, and told Yahoo Sports that the teams trading him are failing to make the most of his abilities.
“You either take advantage of me and my ability, or f*** up the opportunity with me,” Russell said.
Russell’s best stretch of his career may have come in the 33 games he played for the Warriors in the 2019-20 season. He averaged a career-best 23.6 points per game during that time, when he was a primary scorer in the absence of Curry.
But the trade ended up working out very well for the Warriors, giving them a strong two-way player in Wiggins who grew into the potential he showed in being taken No. 1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Wiggins was a key part of last season’s title run, and 2021 lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga, who came through the pick the Timberwolves sent, is seen as an important building block for the future.
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