Phoenix Suns fans entered free agency hoping that their team would be able to acquire a point guard to play alongside rising star Devin Booker, with many wishing for 23-year old All-Star D'Angelo Russell. However, the Suns organization was apparently against bringing in Russell all along.
According to USA Today, Phoenix never actually pursued DLo because they thought he'd be a bad influence on Booker off the court.
"The Suns chose not to pursue Russell despite Devin Booker's campaign for them to target his close friend, according to league sources familiar with the situation."
"The Suns apparently felt Russell wouldn’t have been a good influence on Booker off the court."
As it turns out, the Suns instead opted for veteran Ricky Rubio, who signed a three-year $51 million deal. USA Today reports that Phoenix's primary target was Terry Rozier, but he landed in Charlotte as part of the sign-and-trade that sent All Star point guard Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors pulled off a shocking sign-and-trade for Russell, inking the southpaw to a four-year, $117 million deal. In his fourth NBA season, and second with the Nets, Russell averaged career highs across the board with 21.1 points, 7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while earning All Star honors for the first time and leading the Nets to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
DLo may be a member of the Warriors for now, but reports suggest it's only a matter of time before he's traded once again.