The Golden State Warriors made an interesting decision to ship D’Angelo Russell at the trade deadline in exchange for Andrew Wiggins.
After a slow build-up, the Golden State Warriors ended the NBA trade deadline with a bang. A blockbuster deal saw D’Angelo Russell being shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves as Andrew Wiggins and a pair of future draft picks made their way to Golden State.
This trade may seem puzzling. At 23-years of age, Russell has shown all the signs of a budding star. He had already expressed interest in playing with the Warriors longterm and was averaging a career-high 23.6 points per game. Why would the Dubs want to trade him?
Well, Steve Kerr said it best when talking to reporters Friday. From the moment the Warriors acquired Russell, it was clear his fit with the team might not make sense in the long run.
Steve Kerr on D’Angelo Russell: “To be blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him.”
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) February 7, 2020
This confirmed what many had already assumed. The Warriors’ decision to trade for Russell was out of desperation as the franchise knew it was either that or lose the likes of Kevin Durant or nothing. The Warriors likely never planned on keeping Russell and always knew an additional trade was inevitable.
The only question that remains: Is Wiggins the correct player to receive in return for Russell? On the surface, it appears so.
With a tall and lanky frame, Wiggins will fill in as a much needed small forward for the Warriors. Once the backcourt superstar duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson returns, Wiggins will fit perfectly as the third scoring option.
However, if we are comparing Wiggins to Russell individually, Russell is the better prospect. D-Lo has been rapidly improving as an offensive weapon, becoming an elite playmaker and scorer.
Meanwhile, Wiggins hasn’t shown much improvement at all in his six-year NBA career. In fact, his scoring has decreased in each season since his sophomore campaign.
This may be due to the losing culture Wiggins has been playing in. As a franchise, the Minnesota Timberwolves have consistently disappointed. It is the belief of many Warriors players that a change of scenery will bring out the best of Wiggins.
Furthermore, Wiggins is averaging just one point fewer than Russell this season. Even if Wiggins is slightly less promising as a prospect, he fulfills a much bigger need for the Dubs. The Warriors may have sacrificed a bit of talent but they did it in the name of creating a better structure for a championship run.