5 Timberwolves who may shock NBA by being traded at deadline
By Bret Stuter
Shocking Trade II: D’Angelo Russell
What do you call an NBA point guard who is not an NBA point guard? The answer is, D’Angelo Russell. That is a pretty big problem for the Minnesota Timbewolves right now. Further complicating the matter is the fact that the team already has an outstanding young shooting guard who eclipses the play of D’Angelo Russell.
Russell is a highly-paid player who has just relieved himself of half of his team responsibilities. The trade rumors that surround Russell are multiplying and growing louder.
D’Angelo Russell is no stranger to trade chatter.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 13, 2023
“You either take advantage of me and my ability, or f*** up the opportunity with me,” Russell told @YahooSports. “It’s as simple as that.”https://t.co/CzEjq3VpKQ
This one got me. A point guard who is now a glorified shooting guard is trying to dictate terms?
DLo has one foot out the door now
The roster simply has too many shooting guard options, and not enough point guard options. Whether or not the Timberwolves front office should have, or even could have known about D’Los limitations and defiant attitude in the after-effects is no longer relevant. The only course of action is: What will the team do about it? And then there is this:
D’Angelo Russell will be traded by the NBA trade deadline
— Evan Porter (@EvanPorterNBA) January 13, 2023
Pissed or not, D’Angelo Russell’s value to the Timberwolves roster is primarily as a point guard. Now that he is not a point guard, that value has diminished considerably. The Timberwolves’ rumors seem to make more sense. The second loss to the Detroit Pistons proved that the team cannot win without Anthony Edwards. So what does that leave for D’Angelo Russell’s future? A trade seems more and more likely. Shocking? Perhaps only in how long it has taken for the team to come to that conclusion.