NBA Trade Rumors: Latest News on D'Angelo Russell and Chris Paul
Preseason expectations offer plenty of insight, but the beginning of the NBA season has already tossed a nasty curveball. The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for three months, and his injury is stirring up some activity on the trade market.
Heading into the season, it was always a possibility the team may explore trading D'Angelo Russell once the All-Star guard became eligible for a deal on Dec. 15.
The Warriors didn't need to rush into discussions, though. During a Q&A session on Reddit on Wednesday—hours before Curry suffered his broken hand against the Phoenix Suns—USA Today writer Mark Medina reported that Golden State hadn't reached that stage.
"If it becomes clear they are a lottery team, the Warriors should extract as much value from a D-Lo trade as much as they can," he wrote. "The Warriors aren't thinking that way yet. The season is way too early."
Curry's injury complicates the discussion.
Barring a completely unforeseen surge from the Warriors, they're not simply headed for the lottery; the five-time defending Western Conference champions might have the NBA's worst record.
Russell is the best available talent, and Golden State may prefer to have him around to shoulder the load. However, he can't carry this roster, and he's also the most appealing asset the Warriors could move.
And one franchise will be interested.
"I think it's a matter of when, not if, that the Warriors end up shopping him," SKOR North reporter Darren Wolfson said of Russell on an episode of his podcast released Friday. "We know that the Wolves pursued Russell in the summer. I'm positive that the Wolves are going to have interest."
Russell has a $27.3 million salary this season, per HoopsHype, and Minnesota has a diverse set of contracts to match it. Golden State is certain not to take Andrew Wiggins and his $27.5 million, but Jeff Teague ($19 million), Gorgui Dieng ($16.2 million) and Robert Covington ($11.3 million) provide some flexibility.
If both franchises want to orchestrate a deal badly enough, the financial side of things can happen relatively easily.
That, however, is the complication for the Oklahoma City Thunder's hope of moving Chris Paul.
"The Thunder would love to trade Chris Paul before the trade deadline so they can hoard even more young talent and draft picks," Medina reported during the Reddit chat. "Other teams are reluctant to acquire Paul given his age, injury history and contract, so that might not happen."
Paul is due $38.5 million this season, $41.4 million next year and holds a $44.2 million player option for 2021-22. That is, in as simple terms as possible, a prohibitive contract.
Granted, the massive salary doesn't make a trade impossible. Unlikely, yes. Perhaps the Miami Heat would be interested, and a cap-clogged salary sheet makes a deal workable. Both teams may have the motivation to swing a deal.
The Thunder should have little problem absorbing some of Miami's bad contracts, such as Kelly Olynyk ($12.7 million) or Dion Waiters ($12.1 million). Their deals expire after the 2020-21 season, a full year sooner than CP3's.
But thanks to a 4-1 start to the campaign, the Heat surely aren't going to rush into a high-dollar trade for Paul.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
