Nick Crain | 2/5/23

After making significant moves in the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves have taken some time to figure things out this season. It’s been much better of late, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make a move at the upcoming trade deadline. One player they could use as a trade chip is veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell. He’s a highly productive player, but his new contract could end up being a reason he’s moved. Set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, there seems to be a discrepancy in what he wants to be paid and what the Wolves are willing to give him, Based on his on-court production value this season he’s actually worth less than what he’s being paid currently, as he’s been up-and-down since signing his max contract. This is likely why there hasn’t been much traction in him getting a similar deal moving forward. Given he’s a rental, Minnesota likely won’t be able to get full value for him. Whatever team trades for him will have to risk Russell walking in free agency. Even then, he should still fetch a solid return if the Timberwolves were to pull the trigger. In any trade, they’d still need to be in position to make a deep postseason push. With that in mind, let’s use ProFitX’s trade model to identify three trade packages that could make sense as a starting point for the lead guard, draft compensation aside.

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Clippers Continue Pushing Chips In

The Clippers have the talent to win it all, but they need to do it quickly. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard aren’t getting any younger, and there’s questions around how much longer they’ll both be there given contract scenarios. They’d have to give up impactful pieces to bring Russell in, but he’d immediately solve their point guard problem.

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Heat Reconfigure Starting Lineup

Although Kyle Lowry is still a starting caliber point guard, he’s almost 37 years old. If the Heat find a way to flip him for a younger guard that could extend the window of their current core, they should do it. A swap like this feels like somewhat of a lateral move for the Timberwolves, but that’s where draft compensation could come into play.

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Suns Turn Season Around

The Suns have been disappointing this season, and it’s becoming clear a shakeup needs to happen. While there’s several veteran point guards on the trade market, Russell could make the most sense. It wouldn’t be easy to give away a guy like Cameron Johnson, but something needs to happen if Phoenix is going to be a contender.