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Talks of a potential midseason flip swirled around the Golden State Warriors after they executed a sign-and-trade to yield D'Angelo Russell out of Kevin Durant's inevitable departure.
Many people around the league expect Russell to be dealt before the trade deadline or by this time next summer, helping maintain flexibility and roster balance as Draymond Green looks for a potential max deal in order to keep the initial Big Three core intact.
Yet some others like Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports aren't hearing the same, claiming Russell isn't necessarily a temporary rental for the Warriors:
“Despite playing the same position as star point guard Stephen Curry, league sources shot down the notion that the Warriors aren't acquiring Russell purely as a temporary rental.”
Russell's fit in the Warriors' system is questionable at best, as Golden State constructed this roster based on players with either exceptional talent at one end of the floor or the potential to play both sides of the ball formidably.
The 23-year-old fits none of the above guidelines, as he's a strong scoring guard with good vision and instincts, but doesn't particularly excel in any area of the basketball court.
Russell is keen to the mid-range jump shot and canned a career-high 36.9% from deep this past season, but is rather inconsistent going to the basket, shies away from contact and has suspect defense. Putting him and Curry in the same backcourt would be a recipe for disaster, as teams will often hunt for the duo on switches.
Every bit of noise is likely to be refuted at some point or another, and it's likely this is coming from the side of Warriors' operations, hoping their new acquisition isn't skeptical about playing his next season in the Bay Area.
