The Golden State Warriors’ guard D’Angelo Russell had three high-value offers on the table this free agency prior to the completion of his sign-and-trade.
While potential trade rumors heat up, the Golden State Warriors have shown no signs of hearing out any offers regarding superstar D’Angelo Russell. Russell is currently the Dubs only true offensive playmaker with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out.
To add to that, the Warriors have him under contract for the next three seasons.
He was traded in a sign-and-trade this past offseason, being dealt for now Nets’ star Kevin Durant. Durant will be out the entire 2019-2020 season, but for Brooklyn, getting anything in addition to Durant was ideal since they’d be signing him anyway.
For Russell, he had the option to agree to the sign and trade, and he did just that. It was far from his only offer though. Apparently, Russell has three offers that were all long-term, nine-figure deals on the table.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (premium content) noted that Russell had a $100 million offer from the Lakers, the Warriors max offer that involved the sign-and-trade and the Timberwolves just a few pieces away from giving him a max-value offer.
The Los Angeles Lakers had their chance with D’Angelo Russell. They opted to go the route with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart while watching Russell explode with the Brooklyn Nets.
According to David Kenyon of Bleacher Report, it may have been Kawhi Leonard, not the previous frustrations in Los Angeles that forced Russell’s hand.
“Kawhi Leonard’s methodical approach to picking his new home in free agency left the Los Angeles Lakers stuck in a holding pattern,” Kenyon wrote.
At the time that Russell inked the deal with Golden State, the Wolves hadn’t cleared the space to offer the max. That was likely a crucial reason for Russell’s decision. With both other offers in limbo, it seemed like joining the Warriors was an easy move for Russell.
Let’s hope the Warriors hang on to the young 23-year-old and allow him to thrive in the Bay Area.