The Golden State Warriors are in an interesting position as a franchise. Both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are sidelined due to significant injuries and they haven't yet seen how D'Angelo Russell can fit alongside them.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the fit that Russell will have with all of the Warriors' key players, his name has continued to circulate in trade rumors.
According to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania, the Timberwolves are expected to intensify their pursuit of Russell. Despite the attempts by Minnesota to trade for Russell, the Warriors have remained inclined to keep him and the discussions have yielded no traction.
That includes intensifying their pursuit of Golden State Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell. Discussions have yielded no traction to this point, league sources said. So far, Golden State has been inclined to keep Russell.
Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns are close friends, and the point guard would give the team a shooter and playmaker at that position that they have sorely lacked.
There are some pros and cons for the Warriors when it comes to trading away Russell.
Pros of trading Russell
The fit that D'Angelo Russell will have with Stephen Curry, in particular, is something that still remains unproven. It's quite possible that both players can be productive together but it doesn't appear to be ideal and there are legitimate concerns.
Part of the issue with Curry and Russell playing together is that they are not impactful enough defensively. There are also potential concerns with Russell causing the Warriors' offense to become too stagnant and that he would take touches away from a superior offensive threat in Curry.
Deciding to trade Russell while he has been able to inflate his stats with Curry and Thompson sidelined would be the optimal time to trade him. That way there isn't a risk that the fit wouldn't work out before finding out the hard way.
The core set of players the Warriors have is beyond proven given their accomplishments together. Managing to acquire a few complementary role players or draft compensation in exchange for Russell would help to maximize a championship-caliber trio.
Cons of trading Russell
The list of potential drawbacks for the Warriors that are associated with trading Russell seems to be considerably smaller than the list of benefits. The main con is the fact that Golden State just simply yet hasn't been able to see how Russell can fit with their main talents.
It's important to have multiple players that can create their own shot. The Warriors could end up finding out the hard way that Russell could have filled this role if they were to trade him before seeing if they were going to need him.
Depends on a possible trade
The pros and cons of trading Russell change depending on the possible return. If there are win-now role players that can complement Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, better than Russell, then there isn't much to discuss. That's the bottom line.
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