D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves
Up until recently, I wouldn’t have predicted that D’Angelo Russell could be available via trade this offseason. However, when you consider the way the season ended for the Minnesota Timberwolves, it does make some sense.
Russell is about to enter the final year of his contract and with the emergence of Anthony Edwards, there’s a chance that the Wolves elect to move on whether it’s this offseason or the next one. The Wolves’ core appears to be Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell seems like a complementary piece that simply hasn’t been that complementary.
During the playoffs this season, Russell only averaged 12 points per game on 33 percent shooting from the field. If you take away the one game in which he scored 22 in the playoffs, his numbers look even more average.
He’s a good player, but just may be a bit of an unneceesary luxury in Minnesota right now. And that’s something that the Knicks could possibly take advantage of this offseason as a potential landing spot via trade.