The Golden State Warriors almost lost two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant for nothing in free agency, but they were able to convince him to work do a sign-and-trade with his preferred destination, the Brooklyn Nets. This allowed the Dubs to acquire All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell, and for Klay Thompson, it was a huge move for Golden State.
Thompson told LA Times' Arash Markazi that with the Warriors losing half of their players from last season's roster, it was good that they were able to get a guy like Russell, whom he believes will do a solid job while he continues to recover from injury.
“My season is obviously going to start a little differently. I’m going to be on offseason mode for a little bit until I can run again. With Kevin leaving and DeMarcus leaving and losing Andre and Shaun, the parity in the league is back. Everyone was trying to catch up to the Warriors the past five years, but now teams have closed the gap, if not taken that leap, so for us getting D’Angelo was huge because in my absence, he’s a proven All-Star and a 20-point guy and great play maker.”
Russell averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists for the Nets last season. He also shot 37 percent from beyond the arc, something that will favor the Warriors, who've built their dynasty around two of the greatest 3-point shooters in the history of the NBA.
There have been speculations that Russell's time with the Warriors will be short, as he is expected to be traded once Thompson returns. Whether there's any truth to those rumors or not, one thing is for sure.
D'Lo will play a huge role for the Warriors next season.
And Klay believes that his new teammate is up for the challenge.
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