Warriors Rumors: T-Wolves Initially 'Turned Back' Before D'Angelo Russell Trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves landed point guard D'Angelo Russell ahead of the NBA trade deadline this season in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a top-three protected 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 second-rounder.

But that agreement only came after the Golden State Warriors reportedly rebuffed them on multiple occasions.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, "The Warriors turned back the Wolves multiple times earlier in the season before they finally reached an agreement just before the deadline in February to send to Minnesota the point guard the Wolves always wanted."

That followed the Wolves making a major push to sign Russell as a free agent last summer, only to watch him agree to a sign-and-trade that moved him to the Dubs, sent Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and allowed Russell to pen a four-year, $117 million deal.

The thinking was that Russell could form a dangerous backcourt trio with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson once both players were healthy. At the very least, the Warriors were adding a valuable trade asset in the same summer they were losing Durant.

As expected, Russell's fit in Golden State was suspect, and with the Wolves making a major push to trade for him, the two teams eventually settled on a deal. The Warriors, loaded with the No. 2 overall pick this year, Minny's top pick next year and Wiggins have a number of interesting assets they could flip to an opposing team in a potential trade for another star.

The Wolves, meanwhile, are building around Karl Anthony-Towns, Russell, young players like Jarrett Culver and whoever the team selects with the top overall pick this year. The Wolves could also look to add a third star player to pair with Towns and Russell if they don't like the fit of prospects like Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball.

It will be an interesting offseason for Minnesota. After a yearlong pursuit of Russell, the Wolves now will be focused on building a contender around him.