The Golden State Warriors have reportedly agreed to trade D'Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a protected first-round pick in 2021 and a 2021 second-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Woj notes that the first round pick is Top-3 protected and would become unprotected in 2022.
Russell, now headed to his fourth team in five seasons, is currently averaging a career-high 23.6 points to go along with 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. The 23-year old point guard had expressed an interest in signing with Minnesota this past off-season before ultimately reaching a four-year $117M deal with the Warriors as part of the Durant deal.
Now, Russell will get the opportunity to play alongside his longtime friend Karl-Anthony Towns, a player that he has openly discussed teaming up with. During a shoot for Slam Magazine back in October, which featured Russell, KAT and Devin Booker on the cover, DLo revealed:
"We gotta do this again, when we're all on the same team," Russell said toward the end of the shoot. "Nah, don't cut [the cameras]. Y'all got it on footage. When we're all on the same team -- I ain't gonna tell you which team because I don't know -- we're gonna do this again."
The Timberwolves are currently riding a 13th straight losing streak and they rank among the bottom five teams in the NBA with a record of 15-35. The Warriors, meanwhile, maintain the worst overall record in the league at 12-40. Wiggins, 24, is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.