Golden State Warriors should have waited to trade D’Angelo Russell

The Golden State Warriors should have held onto their chips and waited until this season to trade D’Angelo Russell.

At the time of losing Kevin Durant, D’Angelo Russell felt like a nice consolation prize for the Golden State Warriors. Sure, there were obvious questions around his potential fit in the backcourt with two other All-Star guards. But, there was always the option of flipping Russell for more assets if his pairing with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson didn’t work out.

Unfortunately, we didn’t even get a chance to see how this trio would have faired. Curry and Russell appeared in only a few games together while he and Thompson didn’t share the court a single time. Injuries to both Splash Brothers held this big-three from ever becoming a reality as Russell was promptly traded at the deadline.

The return for Russell wasn’t bad at all. The Warriors received Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 first round pick and a future second-rounder. While this package could help the Dubs compete next season – there is reason to think the franchise might have been better off waiting to pull the trigger on a deal.

Let’s start with the obvious, which we have already touched on. Russell didn’t get a chance to display his talents next to the Warriors core. The 24-year old was in the midst of a 14-game stretch in which he averaged 26.2 points and 6.4 assists on 44.2 percent shooting before being traded. This stretch alone is more encouraging than what Wiggins has shown through most of his career.

The dynamic of having a high-level playmaker like Russell next to Curry would have been thrilling. The offensive potency of Russell, Curry and Thompson would arguably be enough to counteract their vulnerability on defense.

But, above all else, Russell holds more trade value than Wiggins. It’s expected the Warriors will continue to hear trade offers for Wiggins as the NBA Draft and next season’s trade deadline approach. If this is the case, why not just hold onto Russell in order to maximize your leverage?

With big names such as Victor Oladipo, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach Lavine and Bradley Beal potentially being available by the deadline – it’s easy to see how a package of Russell and the Dubs’ No. 2 overall pick would have a better chance of hauling in one of those stars.

This is true not only because of Russell’s higher potential to be a game-changing player – but Wiggins massive contract will make him difficult to move in trades. Wiggins is set to make around $30 million dollars in each of the next three seasons. Paying this much to acquire a player who will likely never become an All-Star on his own team is quite a reach for these squads who are being asked to trade their core players.

Nonetheless, the franchise is still in a prime position to win another title and Wiggins can play a huge role in making that happen if he is able to succeed as a complementary scorer to Curry and Thompson.