NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting where the top 20 deadline candidates will land

5. D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves

In recent weeks, there have been whispers that the Minnesota Timberwolves want to move on from D’Angelo Russell. Or, in other words, want to upgrade to the position. Trading him seemed like the only reasonable route toward the team taking a step forward in the Western Conference.

However, the idea of trading Russell seems a lot better than actually trading him. Finding the right value for Russell would be increasingly difficult. And not getting the right return would be a huge problem for the Wolves. And I’m not sure they’re ready for that problem.

Even though the Wolves will likely explore all avenues for improving the roster at the NBA Trade Deadline, I find it hard to believe that the Wolves will end up trading Russell unless they are absolutely blown away from an offer. I don’t think that’s happening.

Prediction: He is not traded at the deadline.