With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Minnesota Timberwolves are still evaluating their options. Suffering from an array of injuries in the frontcourt, they may be looking to add talent to fill in for the likes of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Taurean Prince.
And of course, the most popular trade target in Minnesota is D’Angelo Russell, who several teams have been reported to have interest in. Rumors of Russell’s departure from the Timberwolves have been ongoing since the start of the season, especially with him playing on an expiring contract.
For much of the current season, D-Lo has seemed as good as gone from the Twin Cities. His recent elevated play is attempting to reverse that narrative, but he remains the player Minnesota is most likely to deal at the deadline. Recently, three new teams were added to the list of parties interested in trading for him.
Three teams were listed as having interest in trading for D’Angelo Russell.
Bleacher Report’s NBA insider Eric Pincus reported on Wednesday that various NBA sources have indicated the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers are all teams that have interest in acquiring D’Angelo Russell. Some of these teams have previously been connected to Russell, but hearing them brought back up again two weeks before the deadline is sure to turn some heads.
For the Suns, trading for D-Lo would make sense as they attempt to keep their championship window open. While 37-year-old Chris Paul is still operating at a high level, Phoenix knows they have to get younger sooner rather than later. Replacing Paul with a high-scoring guard like Russell makes sense for them.
The Mavericks are still trying to fill the hole left behind by Jalen Brunson after his departure in the offseason. With Luka Doncic practically carrying the team on his back, putting another dynamic scoring option in the backcourt could do a lot to improve Dallas’ non-Luka minutes. And frankly, the Mavs will want to do anything to ensure Doncic has no thoughts of leaving Dallas anytime soon.
In Los Angeles, the Clippers are now just 2.5 games ahead of their rival Lakers. After coming into the season with title aspirations, they are in need of improved point guard play, and D’Angelo Russell could be just what the doctor ordered. Besides these three teams, the Miami Heat are the other most popular name in D-Lo trade rumors.
Russell is not a guarantee to be traded anymore, but Timberwolves fans may still want to keep an eye on these three teams over the next two weeks.