Golden State Warriors: Even Steve Kerr knew D-Lo didn’t fit well

The Golden State Warriors traded D’Angelo Russell prematurely yet even Steve Kerr knew the fit would have eventually caused chaos.

It was tough to tell D’Angelo Russell’s fit without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but Steve Kerr knew it was going to be tough for the Golden State Warriors to thrive with all three of the guards on the court.

To be fair, it’s easy to understand why Kerr thinks this way. Russell is an isolation scorer; they knew that when they signed him to a four-year max deal, yet they were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But, now it’s clear that Russell isn’t in the team’s future plans. That could be for one of the numerous reasons.

For starters, he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. His pick-and-roll game is where he thrives, and the Warriors have never lived off the pick-and-roll. Their offense is about spacing, movement, and speed.

So, from a style standpoint, it’s a rough fit. From a position standpoint, Steve Kerr, when talking with the media, dug into why it was also not best for the team to be married to Russell moving forward.

He’s not wrong.

Curry is a point guard. Russell is a point guard. With both of them on the court, Thompson would have to move to the three, a position he’s played seldom throughout his career.

Kerr mentioned following the trade that Wiggins can physically matchup to small forwards like LeBron, another reason he was a good addition. While not exactly like Andre Iguodala, he’ll be asked to fill the Iggy-like role.

That’s an important aspect of why they dealt Russell. They needed a player to give them that unique role of a player that can defend the three yet can manage to produce offensively. Wiggins gives them it. Sadly, Russell does not.

Kerr knows it. Fans thought it, and the trade confirmed it. Russell’s time in Golden State was enjoyable, but it was short-lived, as many expected.