Last summer, the Warriors signed D’Angelo Russel, surprising a fair share of NBA fans. Many predicted that they signed him to trade him. Those people turned out to be correct as the Warriors traded him today for Andrew Wiggins, and 2021 top 3 protected first round pick, and a 2021 second round pick. The first round pick becomes unprotected in 2022. There is a lot to this trade and it has been a long time coming.
Let’s start with the Warriors. They suck. They will continue to suck this year. However, next year will be a different story when the band is back together. Andrew Wiggins is not a player without flaws. He has become notorious for not trying on the defensive floor, despite having defensive tools that really shine when he gives effort. That has to change, plain and simple. You would hope the championship pedigree on the Warriors will rub off onto that aspect of his game. The systems he has played in for the Wolves are ones that I do not think allow Wiggins to shine offensively. The Wolves play through KAT, justifiably, but do not really stress ball movement and off ball cutting. The Warriors have become famous for constant movement. Wiggins is a good off ball cutter and can make an impact on this team. He has become a better passer and has essentially cut the percentage of time he pulls up from mid range early in the clock in half. For those who don’t know, a pull up mid range shot early in the shot clock is generally treated as a bad shot selection. If Warrior fans expect Wiggins to live up to his contract value, they will be disappointed, but he can be a positive contributor to this team.
Now, let’s jump to the Timberwolves. In addition to Russel, Woj reported that the Warriors are also sending Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans. I think you guys can tell we are not going to focus on Spellman and Evans. D’Angelo Russel has been linked to the Timberwolves for just about a year, maybe even longer. Wolves’ centerpiece, Karl Anthony Towns and Russel are best friends. They are both Kentucky guys and I don’t foresee them having any chemistry issues. The Wolves have been searching for a point guard for what seems like forever and they finally got one. It was rumored earlier in the week that they did not want to give up Wiggins to get Russel, but in the end common sense won out. It has been known that KAT has not been as happy as he could be with Minnesota; acquiring Russel will most likely help that situation. One thing that won’t help is that the Wolves have been a worse defensive team this season with Towns ON the floor. It’s not going to get much better with Russel and Towns on the floor. But, hey, Towns needs to be playing relevant basketball, he’s just too talented to be watching the playoffs every year; hopefully this makes the Wolves more relevant going forward.
