When the Golden State Warriors acquired D'Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets over the summer, there was a suspicion that they signed him to trade him.
The Warriors insisted that they viewed Russell as a part of their core moving forward, but once the trade deadline rolled around, the skeptics were proven right.
Just ahead of the Thursday deadline, Golden State traded Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and a couple of draft picks, one of which is a top-three protected 2020 first-rounder.
On Friday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke out on the trade:
“To be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him,” said Kerr, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “When you already have Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit. That was one of the reasons the trade rumors started before the season even began, and I think D'Angelo understood that when he signed the contract.”
So, basically, Kerr is essentially admitting that the Warriors had no intention of keeping Russell for the long haul.
Saying that Russell didn't fit is not even a valid excuse, because Russell only played a few games with Curry before Curry got injured, and he never got the chance to play with Thompson.
And, hey, you can't blame Golden State.
Keep in mind that the Warriors recouped Russell from the loss of Kevin Durant, who signed with the Nets over the summer. When you look at it that way, Golden State essentially landed Wiggins and a couple of picks for Durant, which is not bad when you consider that Durant was going to walk regardless.
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