The Minnesota Timberwolves remain in “hot pursuit” of Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell, relentlessly seeking avenues for a potential trade before the Feb. 6 deadline expires, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe.
The New York Knicks have added themselves to that race, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic — discussing potential packages for the 2018-19 All-Star.
The Warriors have been inclined to keep him and hold onto him until free agency, reportedly to get a feel for how he would mesh in the system once Stephen Curry makes his awaited return in March.
Golden State is hoping to wait until the offseason before making any decision on Russell, considering they will first need to gauge how well (or poorly) he performs in a system predicated by Curry and Klay Thompson's shooting ability.
The Timberwolves have reportedly “dangled” Andrew Wiggins in past talks, and Gorgui Dieng could be another piece to help Minnesota match the $27 million Russell makes this season as part of his four-year, $117 million deal. Minnesota can also acquire draft picks and salary in a Robert Covington deal and help make the offer more enticing.
The Warriors are $3.8 million over the tax and will be looking to make moves to go under in hopes to avoid the massive payments that await them as a potential tax-repeater team.
The Knicks have had no luck when it comes to moving assets like Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina, making it somewhat unlikely that any of the aforementioned would be included in any deal for Russell.
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