NBA Trade Grades: Timberwolves land D’Angelo Russell in blockbuster deal

The Minnesota Timberwolves are landing D’Angelo Russell in a blockbuster that will send Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors. Here are NBA Trade Grades for both sides.

With the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline closing in, it was only a matter of time before another blockbuster deal came through. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves are the main architects this time around.

In a blockbuster move featuring two max-money players, the Warriors will be sending D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to the Wolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.

Per Wojnarowski, the first-rounder being sent to the Dubs will only be top-three protected and turn into an unprotected pick in 2022 if it does not convey.

After such a major move, it’s only natural to look ahead to the potential ramifications for both teams. In order to sort it out, here are the latest NBA Trade Grades for both sides.

Golden State Warriors

This was always going to be something of a lost season for the Warriors once Stephen Curry went down and joined Klay Thompson on the IR. Landing D’Angelo Russell in that massive Kevin Durant sign-and-trade over the summer felt like a win, but with the injury-ravaged Dubs sporting the NBA’s worst record and third-worst point differential, it made sense to start shipping off assets.

However, dumping their best asset in Russell for such a package feels a tad underwhelming. Golden State badly needed a wing, but as it stands, Wiggins’ contract is one of the worst in basketball. Only getting one protected first-rounder while taking on that deal and sacrificing an All-Star caliber point guard doesn’t feel like enough of a return, especially with sweeteners like Evans and Spellman thrown in.

To be fair, if anyone can fix Wiggins, it’s Steve Kerr and these Warriors. With the Splash Brothers back on the court next season, he’ll have more room to attack off the dribble and off cuts than ever before. People forget this because of his questionable shot selection, but Wiggins is actually a pretty elite cutter when it’s one of his central focuses. Kerr cutting out the long 2s and ill-fated isos should help him thrive as the best version of himself, with more spacing to operate than ever.

However, this also requires buy-in on Wiggins’ part, particularly on the defensive end and on improving as a 3-point shooter — two of the most notable flaws in his game since he entered the league. Despite getting off to a red-hot start from deep this season, his numbers have since plummeted, and as a result, he’s shooting just 33.1 percent from downtown on the season — a touch below his career 33.2 percent mark.

Wiggins has shown growth in other areas, minimal though it may seem. He’s averaging career highs in rebounds (5.2), assists (3.7) and blocks per game (0.9) this year, in addition to 22.4 points a night. If the Warriors can unlock his potential as a two-way slasher and even league-average floor-spacer, he’ll be a great pickup who will benefit from a change of scenery. Sometimes playing for a winning culture works wonders.

As for the pick, Golden State did well to limit the protection to top-three. Lord knows the Wolves still have holes to fill on their roster, likely making this first-rounder a potentially valuable lottery pick whenever it conveys.

Giving up youngsters with room to grow like Spellman and Evans feels hasty and unnecessary considering the risk the Warriors are committing to, but if anyone can fix Andrew Wiggins, it’s them.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns‘ displeasure over his current situation in Minnesota is not even one of the league’s worst-kept secrets; it’s broadly apparent for anyone who’s tuned in to watch the Timberwolves play during their current 13-game losing streak. This season was supposed to be different but has since cratered into the same ol’, same ol’.

The Wolves needed to make a big move to restore the trust, and they desperately needed a point guard after shipping off Jeff Teague. Finally, they got their guy with an All-Star and KAT’s good friend, D’Angelo Russell.

To be clear, this move doesn’t fix everything. While those two may be buddies who wanted to play together, this roster still has holes to fill. Consider this the first step to mending the front office’s trust with Towns and building toward a future contender after its last attempt with Jimmy Butler failed spectacularly. Both KAT and D-Lo are 24 years and younger, with plenty of room to grow together.

There’s no guarantee Russell’s off-court relationship with Towns will translate to winning basketball, but he’s a clear upgrade at the 1 over anything the Wolves have had in years. Even on a miserable Dubs team, D-Lo was averaging a career-best 23.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game while knocking down 37.4 percent of a whopping 9.4 long-range attempts per game.

He’ll give the Wolves a much-needed second star (no offense, Wiggins) and pick-and-roll partner for Towns. Good luck defending those screens when either one is capable of stepping out and knocking down 3s — and that’s to say nothing of the rampant speculation that will set in if the Phoenix Suns don’t get their act together and Devin Booker starts to feel disgruntled.

Throwing in two capable youngsters with room to grow makes the deal even sweeter for Minnesota. Spellman is only 22 years old and was coming into his own in Golden State, averaging 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3. The 22-year-old Evans has mostly disappointed in his first two years in the league, but even if neither one amounts to anything, the Wolves did some major damage control by getting the point guard they wanted in free agency last summer.

Shedding Wiggins’ albatross contract is a victory in and of itself too, and doing so at the cost of only one protected first-rounder and a second-rounder is another win.

The Timberwolves have been wandering the frozen tundra without direction for the better part of two decades now, watching superstar after superstar grow frustrated and eventually leave to find championship success elsewhere.

There’s no guarantee Minnesota has solved all its problems and appeased KAT for good, but this is the first step in the right direction and could become an even bigger win down the road depending on what happens in Phoenix. Let the hype train begin.

Grade: A-