Karl-Anthony Towns has a new running mate.
The Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday reportedly acquired star point guard D’Angelo Russell in a blockbuster trade with the Golden State Warriors, who fielded 2014 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins as part of their return package. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.
Golden State has agreed to trade D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for a deal that includes Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 protected first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Warriors will send Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to Timberwolves too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
Russell, who is close friends with Towns, was in the midst of his first season with the Warriors. The Nets shipped the 2019 All-Star to the Bay Area back in July as part of the sign-and-trade that delivered Kevin Durant to Brooklyn. Russell was averaging 23.6 points and 6.2 assists per game for a Warriors team that owns the NBA’s worst record entering Thursday.
Wiggins hasn’t lived up to expectations after being one of the most touted prospects over the past decade. The 24-year-old is in the second season of the five-year, $148 million contract extension he signed with Minnesota in October 2017.
Something clearly needed to give with the Timberwolves, who currently are riding a 13-game losing streak. As for the Warriors, they’re surely hoping Wiggins will be able to flourish next season and beyond when he’s surrounded by the superstar trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
