KEY POINTS

  • Timberwolves could still offer something better to the Warriors for Russell
  • T-Wolves hardly resolved their backcourt problems in a recent trade
  • Russell says he is not affected by all the NBA trade talk

The Minnesota Timberwolves could use someone like D'Angelo Russell right now, especially with their point guard shortage. Unfortunately, talks with the Golden State Warriors have not gone well and reports are flying that the Dubs are moving on.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, DLO conversations have not prospered. And with the NBA trade deadline here, it appears the T-Wolves' pursuit of Russell has come to a sputtering halt. That is unless Minnesota is able to hand Golden State with an offer that is better than their previous pitches.]

The Timberwolves, however, were in the headlines just recently. They were one of the four teams in that multiplayer trade involving Clint Capella and Robert Covington. Minnesota landed the services of Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner and Jarred Vanderbilt. They also got the 2020 first-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks via the Brooklyn Nets, NBA.com reported.

The multiplayer trade is seen nothing more than another piece of the Timberwolves rebuilding efforts. It hardly addresses their backcourt problem. In fact, it may have gotten worse with Shabazz Napier being sent to the Denver Nuggets. Beasley and Turner do play the guard position but are not known to be playmakers.

Summing it up, the T-Wolves may have gone from bad to worse in addressing their point guard issues. But the good news is that they could use their haul to sweeten the pot for the Warriors. From the assets that they recently acquired, that 2020 first-round pick could be an intriguing piece to finally land the second overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.

The Warriors have repeatedly said that they have no immediate plans to trade Russell unless it was a pitch hard to resist. Pundits feel that things would be different by the offseason where the Warriors could be relying once again on old hands Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for the 2020-21 NBA season.

Given these trade rumors, Russell says he is comfortable with the situation, aware of the business side of things. After breaking out last season with the Brooklyn Nets, the 23-year-old has gotten used to being bounced around, NBC Sports reported.

"In my profession, this time of my career, a lot of teams they want a point guard and I'm bouncing around," Russell said.

D'Angelo Russell Golden State Warriors
D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Golden State Warriors speaks to head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center on January 22, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images