2018-19 season stats: 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 43.4 percent shooting, 36.9 percent 3-point shooting
Golden State unexpectedly acquired Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets, allowing the Warriors to get something in return for Kevin Durant. As soon as the deal was completed, though, there were already reports the Warriors were simply treating Russell as a trade asset.
“They got a 23-year-old All-Star, and they will trade him,” Marc Stein of The New York Times said back in July. “It’s just a matter of when. … (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) aren’t going anywhere. There really isn’t room for Russell. Obviously Klay is going to miss the rest of next season, so in the shortterm, yes. But this was really about the Warriors protecting themselves for the future.”
Warriors general manager Bob Myers has rejected that idea, saying the team “didn’t sign (Russell) with the intention of just trading him” and wants to “just see what we have.” That’s an understandable approach, but will Myers change his mind once Thompson recovers from the ACL injury he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals?
How Russell works next to Curry could dictate how Golden State handles this situation. There might not be room in the family for a “Splash Cousin.”
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