© Noah K. Murray | 2019 Apr 20
Even with Kevin Durant’s exit projected by many for over a calendar year, nobody expected the type of shakeup it would trigger for the Warriors’ on day one of free agency. When the dust settled, Golden State had executed a sign-and-trade to Brooklyn, receiving 23-year-old All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell and a few role players in exchange for KD. Russell will reportedly be given a max-salary of four-years, $117 million.
What exactly the Warriors’ long-term plan here is remains unclear, but Marc Stein of the New York Times told the Dan Patrick Show on Monday morning that Golden State will flip Russell in another trade at some point.
“This is all about the future,” Stein said. “D’Angelo Russell doesn’t fit there whatsoever… They just wanted to make sure that they did not see Kevin Durant, arguably the best player in the league when healthy, walk out the door for nothing. They got a 23-year-old All-Star and they will trade him. It’s just a matter of when.”
“They will trade him. It’s just a matter of when.”@thesteinline gives his take on Warriors/D-Lo ?
(via @BRlive, @dpshow) pic.twitter.com/Vevc5Yg207
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2019
The Warriors will not be able to trade Russell (unless he agrees to be shipped) for six months after he’s officially signed, meaning he could be moved by as early as January. That is a month before the NBA trade deadline, and a month before when Klay Thompson believes he’ll be ready to return from his torn ACL.
If Stein is indeed correct here, it seems the Warriors acquired Russell to (a) get something for Durant instead of letting him walk for nothing, and (b) get some short term help at the guard position while Thompson is out. Bob Myers and co. clearly believe that Russell’s value, which increased dramatically last year, will only continue to trend upward as the deadline approaches. One would assume if Russell is flipped it would be for wing help, as the Warriors currently have a Durant-sized hole at the small forward position.
The unexpected move is not without it’s risks. Acquiring Russell triggered the hard cap at $138.9 million, forcing the Warriors to move Andre Iguodala for breathing room, and severely limiting their ability to re-sign Kevon Looney to a lucrative deal. They are also banking on a player in Russell whose character issues basically got him traded out of Los Angeles just two years after he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick.
Nobody knows exactly how this will play out or what Golden State has up it’s sleeve. At this point you might as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.