D'Angelo Russell Trade: Top 3 potential landing spots for Minnesota Timberwolves guard after explosive interview
There have been plenty of D'Angelo Russell trade rumors and that means it's time to start taking a look at possible suitors. Russell is an interesting player who can perform or have an off night in any given game.
Because of this, it's tough to say how many teams would be interested. There could be a playoff team out there that could be interested in him coming off the bench or possibly being a second ball handler with the second unit.
Yahoo Sports had the following to report on a possible deal with Miami for Russell
"The Heat have in fact registered interest in Russell, but a direct deal for Lowry would appear unlikely. Lowry is just a few months away from entering the final season of his own contract worth roughly $30 million in average annual salary, and it’s hard to imagine Wolves officials being eager to extend the aging guard another exorbitant payday when he becomes extension eligible this summer — putting Minnesota in the exact situation it faced with Russell last July."
Interestingly enough, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said similar things about Miami possibly being a suitor for Russell:
“Could [the Wolves] call Miami and get Kyle Lowry, Because he’s the type of veteran guy who I think would really help them. And I think that the Heat might be interested in getting out from that contract. This is a hypothetical.
He added:
“But that would be adding a whole bunch of money to [the Wolves’] books. I don’t know if they’re in position to do that with where their salaries are at, [Bobby Marks]. But I’m also not sure they’re going to re-sign Russell unless he takes a significant paycut — and that was going to be a challenge before this year, even if everything was going well.”
D'Angelo Russell trade ideas
#1 Miami Heat - D'Angelo Russell Trade
A D'Angelo Russell trade with the Miami Heat could be something that both teams are interested in. Miami could use the extra ball handler or they could also make him come off the bench to provide offense, which has been a weak point of the team in the past few years.
Russell has shot the three-point shot well for most of his career and Erik Spoelstra has been historically great at getting shots for shooters.
#2 Los Angeles Lakers - D'Angelo Russell Trade
Is a D'Angelo Russell trade to the Lakers really going to solve any of Los Angeles' problems? Probably not, but he could help. A shooter is what the Lakers need and while Russell hasn't had his best year, LeBron James could get him a ton of open looks.
James is arguably the greatest passer of all time, even at his age. Playing next to him typically makes everyone better and that should be a good mixture with D'Angelo.
#3 Phoenix Suns - D'Angelo Russell Trade
While this move for the Suns could be interesting, there's no denying they need a second ball handler. Because of that, adding a veteran like Russell could be something that they might benefit from.