Warriors trade D’Angelo Russell to T-Wolves for Andrew Wiggins, draft picks

The Golden State Warriors have reportedly agreed to send D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package including Andrew Wiggins and draft picks.

The Golden State Warriors have pulled off their biggest trade deadline move in years agreeing to send D’Angelo Russell along with Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and draft picks.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news earlier on Thursday in a report that sent the NBA world into a state of chaos. Just one day after a report surfaced that the Warriors had “moved on” from talks with the Timberwolves, they reached an agreement.

Russell was acquired by the Warriors in a sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets this past offseason and the All-Star guard’s future has been speculated ever since.

After trade talks heated up over the past few days, it seemed as though Golden State was adamant about seeing Russell play alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson before making a decision on his future.

But clearly, they budged on that decision.

That said, this trade does seem very confusing on the surface. Out of all the options the Warriors had in regards to Russell, their decision to flip him for Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick seems confounding, to say the least.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

Wiggins is notoriously on one of the worst contracts in the NBA. The former No. 1 overall pick is owed $29.5 million next season, $31.6 million in 2021-22 and $33.6 million the subsequent season.

Meanwhile, it’s not as if the draft compensation they received is anything special. A protected pick in 2021 might not do them much good and adding another second-round pick is pretty insignificant.

The Warriors appear to be betting on Wiggins and the organization’s ability to turn his career around. It could be a worthwhile gamble, but it likely wouldn’t have been their best option.

Golden State could very well have held on to Russell until the summer where they could have fielded perhaps better trade offers. Instead, they caved and went with the Andrew Wiggins offer that few believed they would take.

Nonetheless, the Warriors now have their much-needed wing with superstar potential. But for their sake and the fanbase’s sake, they better hope he could figure things out in San Francisco.