NBA Rumors: Warriors Expected To Trade Guard In Surprise Move

The Golden State Warriors will acquire D’Angelo Russell as part of a sign-and-trade deal from the Brooklyn Nets which will see Andre Iguodala join the Memphis Grizzlies. The recently dethroned NBA champions are also giving up multiple draft picks to bring the young point guard to the Western Conference.

The 23-year-old was also coveted by the Los Angeles Lakers and other teams and is coming off of a breakthrough season with the Nets. While he is a good player, many NBA experts are calling the move from the Warriors a desperate one, which was done to soften the blow of Kevin Durant leaving and joining the Brooklyn franchise as an unrestricted free agent.

The Warriors have offered Russell a max contract worth $117 million leaving them well short of cap space to fill the rest of their roster with quality players going into the new season. They are expected to lose the likes of Jordan Bell and Quinn Cook in order to clear salary space, which has seen New York Times’ Marc Stein predict that Russell will not be a long-term acquisition for the Bay Area team.

“D'Angelo Russell does not fit there whatsoever," Stein said on the “Dan Patrick Show”. "They just did not want to see Kevin Durant walk out the door with no compensation. ... They will trade him. It's just a matter of when."

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are one of the best back court pairings in the league and it is difficult to see Russell fitting in. However, Thompson will miss the bulk of next season after suffering an ACL injury during the 2019 NBA Finals, and Russell can provide the necessary cover.

But Stein is certain that the Russell move by the Warriors is one for the future and he is certain that they will trade him for compensation either midway through next season or in the summer of 2020. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Russell sign-and-trade deal will be a three-team deal as the Warriors will send one protected future first-round pick to Brooklyn and re-route Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves.