The Timberwolves need to make some choices about how to manage their assets soon. Finding out what to do about D’Angelo Russell’s future with the team is a top priority. A possible trade may emerge from this.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ bold trade plans involve D’Angelo Russell
After taking a risk to acquire Rudy Gobert during the NBA offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves anticipated a significant uptick in regular season success.
An article by Shams Charania of The Athletic claims that the Timberwolves have been discussing trading away Russell in order to acquire a new point guard.
D’Angelo Russell’s expiring $31.3 million contract presents a major decision for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota is looking to move Russell in order to acquire another point guard, as the loss of his salary slot would be significant.
Without a contract extension agreement in sight, Russell is playing on an expiring salary worth $31.3 million. The Timberwolves would not gain any cap space from his departure in free agency because they anticipate operating over the salary cap as it stands.
As far as numbers go, Russell is having a decent season. He has played in 42 games, and his averages are 17.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. From the field, he’s making 46.1% of his shots and from deep, 36.5% of the time.
Russell’s chemistry with the Timberwolves has been awkward beyond the numbers. As Anthony Edwards matures, the backcourt will begin to overlap. Yet, the need for increased maximization in pick-and-roll scenarios has been the source of the majority of worry. With Russell leading the way, the team hoped that by acquiring Gobert’s roll man ability, they could better operate out of ball screens. That has not happened as of yet.
Any team interested in acquiring Russell should be prepared to make a long-term commitment to him. It’s likely that the Timberwolves will need to sign a player with a long remaining contract if they want to acquire a replacement point guard.
For Minnesota to be willing to part with a player of that caliber in exchange for Russell, the acquiring team would have to be very optimistic about Russell’s potential in a new contract.
