It’s time for Minnesota Timberwolves to move on from D’Angelo Russell

1. Replacement

Obviously, if the Minnesota Timberwolves were to get something from the Golden State Warriors, they’d have to give something up in return. Since Stephen Curry is most likely out until at least February and Klay Thompson looks to be gone for the season, D’Angelo Russell is the best guard the Warriors have.

Salary wise, there’s no clear way for Minnesota to orchestrate a trade for Russell without giving up Andrew Wiggins, which would be a shame as he’s been playing really well this season. Even with that, he still hasn’t proven himself to be a reliable contributor year-in and year-out and because of that, they’d probably ask for more than Wiggins in return for one of their top players.

Most likely, Minnesota would be forced to give up one of their bigger assets they acquired in the offseason, which could hurt the team in the long run if both Karl-Anthony Towns and Russell decide to leave after their contracts are up.

If Minnesota tried to trade for Russell, it would be a win-now move. But win-now moves tend to hurt the teams that make them in the long run. Often times, those moves are made by a coach/executive whose job is in jeopardy, but Ryan Saunders and Gersson Rosas should be safe at least for a few years now.

Should the Timberwolves want to make a trade now that restrictions are lifted, there are plenty of players who could bring something to the team, and who wouldn’t be too expensive to get. Minnesota shouldn’t worry themselves over the person that they used to want and instead should focus on building the strongest roster possible.