The Minnesota Timberwolves should be feeling pretty good after their first-round defeat. After years of subpar play and dysfunctional locker rooms, they’ve finally made some progress in their mission to become real title contenders and there is reason to be optimistic about the path ahead.
Unfortunately, Minnesota’s star point guard, D’Angelo Russell, may not be on that path for very long.
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Wolves are expected to shop D’Lo this summer.
The future of another prominent lefty lead guard in the West is much more uncertain after Minnesota’s first-round exit. D’Angelo Russell wound up on the bench at crunch time in the Timberwolves’ season-ending Game 6 defeat at home to Memphis and averaged just 12.0 points per game on 33.3% shooting in his second career playoff series. Numerous rival teams expect the Wolves to try to trade Russell this offseason irrespective of Russell’s close relationship with Minnesota star Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell, 26, has one season left on his contract at $31.4 million.
No doubt, the expendable nature of Russell has something to do with the emergence of Anthony Edwards.
After being picked first in the 2020 Draft, Ant is blossoming into a star before our eyes. Through 72 games this season, he averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game on 44% shooting.
As the future and new cornerstone of the franchise, the Wolves will no doubt shift to building around him instead of Towns.
What this means for Russell is that he might have played his last game in Minnesota if the team decides he’s holding Edwards back or not living up to team standards.
Russell, 26, is a 1x All-Star with expert handles and exceptional playmaking ability. This season, he averaged 18.1 points and 7.1 assists per game for the Timberwolves.
