Two Days Out: Still in Pursuit of D’Angelo Russell

We are two days out from the NBA trade deadline, and the Wolves’ focus, according to the internet, is clarifying. It appears they are trying to flip Robert Covington for draft assets, which would then be combined with some of their own stuff to acquire D’Angelo Russell from the Golden State Warriors.

Of course, other things could shake that up at any time, and I’m confident the Wolves are speaking with many teams across the league about different scenarios, but the above seems to be their primary goal.

The issue, of course, is what it would take for the Warriors to move by Thursday. There was a report yesterday that they turned down an offer involving a pick acquired in a not-yet-consummated Covington deal and the Wolves own pick. I’m not entirely sold on that, but even if it’s true, it’s an incomplete description of the situation. The Warriors would also have to take back significant salary in order for the Wolves to fit DLo, and that might very well be the hold up. Do the Wolves want the Warriors to take Andrew WIggins? I don’t know, but that could be an issue.

Here’s the latest Woj on the situation:

At any rate, there are a lot of moving parts, and we might still be a day away from teams actually getting serious. From the Warriors point of view, even if they plan to trade Russell, there is no compelling reason to do so now. The summer might very well bring more interested teams, which could lead to a better return. But it’s also worth noting that two members of the Warriors front office, including assistant GM Mike Dunleavy, attended last night’s Wolves-Kings game in Sacramento, according to The Athletic.

If they were there scouting Wolves players, it was not a great look, with likely moving players failing to make a good impression.

My hope is they are not putting all their eggs in the DLo basket, whether now or in the summer. That’s how you overpay, and I’m far from sold that he is a real needle mover for the Wolves. Clearly they are enamored of him, and hopefully if they make such a move it will work out, but as the price continues to climb, I get more and more antsy.

Things have collapsed far worse than anyone expected this season, and there can be added pressure to do something when you are in the midst of your second double-digit losing streak of the year. Meanwhile, the sales department is trying to sell season tickets for next season, which can’t be going well under the circumstances.

Gersson Rosas has spoken of patience and sticking with the plan; We’ll see over the next couple of days how patient he really is.