The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly attempted a sign-and-trade with Andrew Wiggins and Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell.
This offseason will be unique for Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell. It’s still unclear if he’ll be a Net for the 2019-2020 season. It somewhat depends on if the Nets end up signing superstar point guard Kyrie Irving. NBA Free Agency doesn’t begin until June 30, so fans won’t know until then.
However, reports are coming out now that the Minnesota Timberwolves actually tried to get a sign-and-trade done. It would’ve involved trading Andrew Wiggins for Russell.
Darren Wolfson of SKOR North was the first to report of the news.
Per @DWolfsonKSTP, the Wolves tried to engage the Brooklyn Nets on a sign-and-trade of D'Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins. pic.twitter.com/pYf4chLSTV
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) June 26, 2019
Trading Wiggins would be a beneficial move for the Timberwolves in a number of ways. For starters, Wiggins is set to make $27.5 million in 2019-2020. That much money for an individual who hasn’t exactly become a superstar in the NBA is a whole lot. Wiggins was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and hasn’t played up to those standards since he was selected.
On the other hand, the Timberwolves need a reliable point guard to team up with superstar Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell could’ve been that point guard. He’s still young at 23-years-old, and he’s improved mightily since he entered the league in 2015. Russell made his first All-Star Game this past year and was a big reason the Nets made the postseason.
Wolfson, however, added that the talks of the sign-and-trade “never got even an inch off the ground.”
Makes sense for Brooklyn. Wiggins would be a costly player to have on the Nets, and it would be a high risk, low reward-type situation. He just simply isn’t dominant enough for the amount of money he’s paid.