The Golden State Warriors reportedly weren't looking to acquire point guard D'Angelo Russell until he expressed interest in them, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Russell reportedly agreed to a four-year, $117 million maximum contract with the Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
For what its worth, was told Warriors were not looking for D'Angelo Russell, but when he expressed interest they liked the opportunity and will see how it works. There are no plans at this point to flip him. They see a path for Steph, D'Lo and Klay to play together.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 2, 2019
The Warriors will play Russell alongside Stephen Curry in the backcourt until Klay Thompson returns from his ACL injury. In the small ball era, the Dubs can probably play Curry, Russell and Thompson together and put Draymond Green at the power forward spot and Kevon Looney at center.
This past season in Brooklyn, Russell made his first All-Star team. The lefty averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Russell and Curry are going to light it up together on offense, but the two point guards are likely going to struggle on the defensive end, as neither All-Star is a strong defender. The Warriors are sometimes able to hide Curry on defense because of Thompson.
Everyone is counting the Warriors out now that Kevin Durant is gone and Klay Thompson is hurt. It's going to be fascinating to see how D'Angelo Russell and Stephen Curry co-exist next season and if the two guards can lead the Dubs in a tough Western Conference.
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