The Golden State Warriors will enter unfamiliar territory next season after they went through a lot of squad changes in this summer’s free agency. They lost Kevin Durant, who opted not to re-sign with the team and joined the Brooklyn Nets instead. Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, and Shaun Livingston also left, while D’Angelo Russell joined Steve Kerr’s side.
Russell, who made his first All-Star appearance last season thanks to excellent displays for the Brooklyn Nets, is the only high-profile player who came to the Warriors this offseason. Golden State did add former Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein, and he will likely serve as a starting center for the Warriors.
Although numerous reports suggested the Warriors could trade Russell at some point during the season, it looks like that isn’t going to happen. In fact, one Warriors executive firmly denied that the team sees Russell as an expendable player, according to Keith Smith of RealGM.
“I’m trying to be nice, but that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” the executive said. “A 23-year-old All-Star on a four-year deal better be someone you can trade easily, or we’re all idiots. Did we sign D’Angelo to trade him? No. We signed him because we had an opportunity to land an All-Star to replace the All-Star we were losing. Let’s not play conspiracy theory here.”
A Warriors executive stressed they didn't sign D’Angelo Russell to trade him https://t.co/0Oi8KEzefP pic.twitter.com/h3oMnDWj46
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) July 27, 2019
The 23-year-old Russell is considered as one of the top future players in the league. Klay Thompson is sidelined for a big part of the next season, which means Russell will play alongside Stephen Curry in the backcourt, and will probably play big minutes until Thompson returns.
The Warriors have a weaker roster compared to the past few years, and it’s going to be a real challenge for them to defend the Western Conference title. Some believe Golden State will find it hard even to reach the playoffs this time around, but what we do know is that for the time being, Russell is staying with the Warriors.
Steve Kerr can't wait to get D'Angelo Russell into the #Warriors mix.https://t.co/9aytJQW4TP pic.twitter.com/TWZNwsx7Or
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 26, 2019
