3. Production
Probably the biggest reason it’s time for the Minnesota Timberwolves to move on from their pursuit of D’Angelo Russell; DLo simply hasn’t been the same player he was last season.
In the 2019-20 season, Russell is averaging 22.4 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point range, and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
While those numbers seem to suggest a productive season from the still relatively young All-Star, it’s worth remembering that Russell is the only offensive focal point for this down-and-out Warriors team that has been wrought with injuries.
Certainly, Russell’s stats wouldn’t be anything to scoff at if he was on a team with more than one or two offensive threats, but there’s almost no chance that it would be worth a four-year max contract. Russell would quickly find himself in a situation where fans would demand to see a return on their investment or he would quickly draw comparisons to Andrew Wiggins.