It's funny how things work out. There was a legitimate chance late Tuesday that a Kevin Durant-Golden State Warriors reunion was on the cards, and that in a round-about way the 2x Finals MVP would be traded for himself.
The long-running 2019 trade that saw Durant depart the Warriors has now taken another (and perhaps final) twist. The initial trade saw Golden State acquire D'Angelo Russell -- a consolation prize of sorts but an important one that preserved a big salary slot.
The Warriors' D'Angelo Russell trade takes another turn
After just 33 games with the Warriors in which he averaged 23.6 points and 6.2 assists, Russell was flipped in a franchise-altering move to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and a 2021 first-round pick.
While there were plenty of doubts at the time, it proved a masterstroke from Bob Myers as Wiggins developed from underwhelming former number one overall pick into a valuable two-way forward who was an All-Star and second-best player on a championship team in 2022.
The first-round pick ultimately resulted as the seventh overall pick in which Golden State selected Jonathan Kuminga. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective podcast, there was a legitimate chance Wiggins and Kuminga could have been moved to bring back Durant, which would have been a wild finalization to the cycle from that initial 2019 deal.
Instead, Durant blocked the move and the Warriors turned their attention to Jimmy Butler, acquiring the 6x All-Star in exchange for Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a top 10 protected 2025 first-round pick.
So, while there's been a number of smaller pieces and financial aspects manoeuvred throughout the multiple trades, Golden State essentially have Butler and Kuminga now on their books as a result of trading Russell five years ago. That's an excellent return, particularly when you add in how good Wiggins was during his time with the franchise.
Meanwhile, Russell is back with the Brooklyn Nets -- the team the Warriors executed the initial sign-and-trade with in 2019. He's been with the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers in between, always being a talented offensive player who puts up numbers, but who hasn't necessarily been seen as a winning player.
Golden State will now be focused on this new phase and what Butler can bring to the Bay, while there still remains a hope that Kuminga can develop into a star and become a decade-long integral piece to the franchise.