It finally happened. D’Angelo Russell trade rumors have been stirring for months now, but no one thought they’d come to fruition so soon. Recent reports painted Golden State as unwilling to move Russell before trying him out with Stephen Curry first, so this trade came as a massive shock. Here are the full details.
Timberwolves receive:
D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman.
Warriors receive:
Andrew Wiggins, Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick (TOP-3 PROTECTED), 2021 second-round pick
As with every trade, there are winners and losers. Who came out on top for this one?
Winners
Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell
The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that Towns exploded in the Minnesota locker room after their 13th straight loss yesterday.
“I’ve been losing for a long time. I’m not trying to do that s*** anymore. So every possession means a lot. You obviously see my patience running low with a lot of things. There [are] no excuses. We gotta get it done.”
Luckily, Minnesota is used to discontent franchise cornerstones. Thank God they didn’t turn to their usual solution of trading him away, however. There’s a long documented bromance between Towns, Russell, and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker since they’ve been drafted. Not a month goes by without one of the trio affirming his love for the other two. Banana Boat 2.0 or not (definitely not), Towns links up with one of his best friends. The only items left on Towns’ wishlist now should be world peace and saving the turtles.
Losers
Golden State Warriors
Golden State makes a huge and wholly unnecessary gamble with this surprising head-scratcher from a usually savvy front office. The Warriors are essentially betting on the Wolves being bad in 2020-21, something out of their control. That 2021 first-rounder could be extremely valuable if Minnesota falters and misses the playoffs, but there’s a good chance the Timberwolves end up half-decent. Wiggins is an intriguing addition and better basketball fit with a fully healthy Warriors squad, but he comes at a $122 million price tag. If the Wolves make the playoffs, the Warriors would’ve just traded an All-Star for a glorified Harrison Barnes and a middling first-rounder.
Why didn’t Golden State just wait until at least the summer to move Russell? He’s under contract for another four years, and his value could only get higher. Russell wasn’t exactly ruining their tank either. Golden State was dead last in the league with him at the helm. Perhaps the Warriors could’ve even pried the 2020 draft pick out of Minnesota, who might’ve gotten more desperate as Towns grew more frustrated. Or they could’ve packaged Russell and their own 2020 pick for another star to pair with Steph and Klay. Either way, this move feels rushed because it is. Golden State may have gotten an okay deal at face value, but it could’ve been much better.
On the bright side, Wiggins is a better fit positionally for a fully healthy team. He’s not as good as Russell but gives much-needed size at 6’8″. Russell and Curry were too small to ever be a half-way defensive team, and Thompson isn’t a natural small forward. Golden State is short on wings after Durant’s and Iguodala’s departures, and Wiggins fills that hole. If they end up keeping their own 2020 pick, that rookie and Wiggins could be a safety net for the future when Curry retires. But, once again, this deal would’ve still been on the table five months from now. It still makes zero sense to make it, especially when they’re giving Towns and Russell the extra months to gel.
Winner
Andrew Wiggins
The Golden State Warriors will do everything in their power to stop Andrew Wiggins from being a disappointment. He’s averaged 22.4 PPG, 5.2 REB, and 3.7 AST on 44.1/33.1 shooting splits this year. After a bit of a resurgence in the early season, he’s back to the old inefficient Wiggins.
However, the Wolves are infamous for the pervading “softness” that filters through the locker room. Is Wiggins a product of that terrible culture, or is he a cause? We don’t know yet but Golden State is hoping they can fix Wiggins up. Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson are noted to all be great teammates and leaders. There’s still savant-like potential cased deep inside Wiggins, and it’s up to the Warriors to save him now.
If there’s any team that can pry some more growth out of Wiggins, however, it’d be the Warriors. Golden State has a long history of wringing every bit of talent out of every player possible. From the 73-win team in 2015-16, Curry, Thompson, Green, Barnes, and Ezeli were all drafted and developed in Oakland. Wiggins had hit his ceiling in Minnesota, but anything goes in Golden State.
Winners
Jarrett Culver, Josh Okogie, and Malik Beasley
Minutes, minutes, and minutes galore! Covington and Wiggins are gone, leaving a massive sinkhole in the wing rotation. Okogie is a potential defensive stud who’s still working out the kinks in his jump shot. Beasley is a potential 20 PPG scorer who could never find enough minutes behind the Nuggets’ neverending bench of starting-level talent. Culver was the sixth pick in the 2019 draft and hopeful future starting forward for Minnesota. They’re all worth taking a flier on, and now they get as much opportunity as they can handle.
Wolves fans should be most excited for Beasley. He’s an intriguing scorer who put up 11.3 PPG on 47.4/40.2 splits in 23.2 minutes a night last year. Explosive and fluid with his shot, Beasley can be a terrific sixth man for this team. He’ll be a free agent this summer, and Minnesota gives him a great opportunity to prove his worth.
Culver also deserves some more time in the sun. He’s averaging just 9.1 PPG on 38.6/27.2 splits this year but is also averaging 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks a night as well. At 6’7″ with a 6’10” wingspan, he has great size for the shooting guard spot. Scouts have talked about his IQ and playmaking chops for years now, and he can be a pseudo-point guard on a team. Culver has shot poorly from three both this year and last season in college, so that’ll be his most necessary improvement. Additionally, Okogie was an underrated rookie last year who’s shown admirable hustle and makes several high IQ plays a game. Only good things can come from playing him more often.
Loser
Wolves’ Defense
Minnesota already lost one of the NBA’s best defenders at his position this deadline and got nothing in return. Wiggins wasn’t great on defense, but at least he was big and athletic.
Russell has a -3.1 defensive box plus-minus this season which speaks volumes considering the Warriors are 25th overall in defense. He also has a cumulative defensive rating of 112 for his career and will likely never be better than average. Russell simply doesn’t have the body to be a good NBA defender.
Covington, meanwhile, is an All-Defensive level defender who has a career 105 defensive rating and anchored Minnesota’s defense. Minnesota never should’ve traded the 6’7″ swiss army knife. Covington was the only man in the world capable of convincing Karl-Anthony Towns to play defense, and that says something considering Jimmy Butler practically stripped Towns of his manhood during last season’s trade debacle.
They may have fetched back Brooklyn’s top-14 protected 2020 pick and Malik Beasley, but was it really worth it? They’re gearing up for a playoffs run next year. Why would they trade away their one proven veteran for a draft pick? Not to mention, Beasley is a free agent this summer. Minnesota may have slipped out of the noose Wiggins’ contract tied around their necks, but that doesn’t mean they can afford Beasley.
Winner
Minnesota Timberwolves
This may be the first time in Minnesota Timberwolves’ history that they actually gave their star big man some help. After pining for a Russell trade for months, Minnesota finally got their guy. Wiggins was necessary collateral in the trade to match salaries, but many were afraid they’d lose Covington in it as well. Covington left via a different trade, but at least Minnesota got back some more pieces for him.
The Timberwolves are banking on Russell and Towns being good enough to make the playoffs next year. That’s a logical bet to make, especially with the prize being just one draft pick. The Wolves have a whole summer to flesh out their roster to fuel a playoffs run. Heck, they’ll probably fan the flames of some Booker trade rumors too. It worked with the Russell haul after all.
Russell is one of the best off-the-dribble three-point shooters in the league, shooting 35.0% on 5.4 attempts per game. He’s averaging 23.6 PPG and 6.2 AST this year on 55.8 TS%, making him one of the most efficient high-volume shooters in the NBA. Minnesota is pairing him with Towns, the best shooting big man in NBA history. That’s a scary thought off the pick-and-roll. Even if Wiggins did improve his playmaking this year, he’s still a long way off from Russell.
Escaping Wiggins’ poison pill contract is also a relief for Minnesota. It’s debatably worth losing a first-round pick just to get off that deal, and somehow the Timberwolves got a borderline All-Star as well. It’s good to see Minnesota on the winning side of a blockbuster trade for once.
Conclusion
By some black magic, the Minnesota Timberwolves somehow managed to get Russell. There was incredibly little incentive for Golden State to move him so early, and the deal is baffling from their perspective. It’s doubtful a Russell-Towns duo is enough to win a championship, but it smoothes out a couple of feathers in Minnesota at least. Here’s some credit for at least trying to build around your superstar big man this time, Timberwolves!
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