Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers insists the team did not acquire D'Angelo Russell this off-season with the sole intention of trading him, despite the rumors that have surfaced in recent weeks.
Shortly after the Warriors and Nets agreed to the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Durant to Brooklyn and D-Lo to the Bay Area, the New York Times' Marc Stein reported that Golden State would be trading Russell at some point, "It's just a matter of when."
Myers, however, says there are no imminent plans to move Russell. Furthermore, Myers explained that he wants to see how the 23-year old All Star fits into their system before reaching any decisions.
Per ESPN's Nick Friedell:
"I know it's been written and speculated. That's fine," Myers said Monday, according to ESPN. "That's what everybody's job is to do. We didn't sign him with the intention of just trading him. We haven't even seen him play in our uniform yet, and a lot of people have us already trading him. That's not how we're viewing it. Let's just see what we have. Let's see what he is. Let's see how he fits.
"Part of our job in the front office and the coaching staff and the organization is, 'How does it all work?' ... So much of our sport at least, and maybe other sports, is, 'What are you doing next?' We got to figure out what we're doing now."
Russell, who inked a four-year $117M deal with the Warriors, developed into an All Star last season in Brooklyn, averaging career highs across the board with 21.1 points, 7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while leading the Nets to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.