It’s no secret the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves have engaged in trade discussions involving D’Angelo Russell on numerous occasions. There was an interesting recent development involving Andrew Wiggins in those talks.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Timberwolves have ‘dangled’ Wiggins in trade talks with the Warriors for a possible swap involving Russell.
The Warriors are aware of this dynamic. It automatically bumps up Russell’s market value in conversations with the Wolves. Minnesota has dangled Andrew Wiggins, who is on a similar contract as Russell and fills a greater positional need. But from a Warriors’ perspective, that’s still a questionable talent-for-talent swap. Most around the league view Russell as better than Wiggins. It’s a move only a panicked front office would make.
The Warriors plan to wait and see how Russell fits with Curry do have a larger sample size of data before making long-term determinations about their fit together.
That would enable the Warriors to wait until the summer before making a Russell trade to maximize their potential return from the Timberwolves, as Slater noted. It would enable them to maximize their potential return as well given how salary cap room frees up around the league.
But anything involving Wiggins, an average pick or a different type of asset-based Minnesota offer might still be there in the summer. Maybe not. Maybe, in that case, keeping Russell and figuring out the three-guard fit is the best path. But time should only help them decide. You can’t hit a home run if you never wait for the chance. There doesn’t appear to be a compelling reason for them to act before next Thursday’s deadline.
It’s worth noting, Glenn Robinson III has been filling the starting small forward role for the Warriors strongly this season. He appears to be an ideal ‘3-and-D’ wing alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. That makes the idea of acquiring Wiggins less favorable.
Wiggins was thought to be taking a leap forward for the Timberwolves after beginning the season quite strongly. However, his production has toned down, but he is still averaging 22.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on the season.
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