Warriors: One team persistent on a D’Angelo Russell trade

Golden State Warriors’ guard D’Angelo Russell has received considerable trade interest ahead of the February 6th deadline with one team in particular very interested.

As the NBA trade deadline draws near with a set date of February 6th, one team has tried everything to pry D’Angelo Russell away from the Golden State Warriors.

This team is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are trying to keep their superstar talent happy by pairing him with his close friend.

The Timberwolves’ pursuit of D’Angelo Russell has been an ongoing one that stretches beyond the start of this season. Before agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal that would send him to the Warriors, Minnesota seemed like the ideal landing spot for Russell.

Russell and Timberwolves’ superstar center Karl-Anthony Towns are good friends and have publicly shared their desire to share the same court as teammates at some point. In need of a point guard, a move to finally pair the pair seemed inevitable.

However, the guard signed a deal with the Warriors and opened up about the decision to pass up on the Timberwolves opportunity in late November.

"“It was definitely something I was considering very strongly. But then, when this opportunity came, the weather is way better, so that helped me.”"

Aside from the weather, Russell’s lucrative four-year, $117 million contract agreement with the Warriors was also likely a significant factor.

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Although he decided not to join the team in free agency, Minnesota has made it clear they would still pursue the guard throughout the regular season. After a promising start to the season that had Towns in the earliest of MVP talks, their season has gone downhill very fast at 15-33.

With rumors swirling that Towns may be growing unhappy with the organization, bringing in a close friend of his who is also a superstar talent could wipe that away.

Yet, the Timberwolves have not been able to get any traction going on a deal for Russell, and one does not appear to be happening anytime soon.

Minnesota reportedly was “intensifying” their pursuit of the 23-year-old guard not too long ago, and new rumors suggest that a deal, including Andrew Wiggins, was on the table. Yet, Russell and Wiggins cannot be swapped by themselves, as their contracts make it impossible.

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Regardless, this trade does not make much sense for Golden State either at the moment. Russell was a first-time All-Star last year and made a strong case to repeat this season, but fell just short.

Averaging 24.0 points per game on a 37.7 three-point percentage, the guard is having a career year on the offensive side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Wiggins has had a resurgence with Minnesota this year, averaging 22.9 points per game, the second-most in his career. The 24-year-old also has a massive contract, only in the second season of a four-year, $147 million deal.

With Russell putting up better numbers on a cheaper contract, denying the swap for Wiggins remains a smart move.

With no urgency to trade their young star, the Warriors will likely hang on to Russell past the deadline despite Minnesota’s pleas.