NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Russell, Wiggins, Drummond Change Jerseys

D’Angelo Russell, Andre Drummond, Andrew Wiggins, and many more superstars changed their teams at the finish of this NBA trade deadline.

It seemed that the teams waited for the last minute to finalize their deals, and reach the situation in which they might maximize their gain.

Warriors and Minnesota Making a Big Deal

The biggest trade was the one between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves, which saw these two sides swapping their young stars. D’Angelo Russell will play for Minnesota, and in the opposite direction went Andrew Wiggins.

The wish of the T-Wolves to get D-Lo has been granted, and they now have a very talented point guard, which will be paired with Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota’s executives are hoping that this trade could be the turning point for the franchise whose been struggling in recent years, although having a solid potential.

Along with D-Lo, Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans are also sent to Minneapolis.

Timberwolves 2021 pick protected to No. 3, and becomes unprotected in 2022, per sources. Minnesota kept pushing for Russell, who it has wanted since summer free agency and finally got the point guard Gerssson Rosas imagined pairing with KAT. https://t.co/kfDNvsdBHX

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020

In the opposite direction comes the former No.1 pick, Andrew Wiggins, whose career is not near the one everyone expected to see. Steve Kerr will try to rebuild his confidence and adjust his game to the one he prefers. If that fails, GSW has a valuable asset for trades in the future.

Pistons “Betray” Drummond

Andre Drummond’s trade was a shocker as nobody expected to see him end up in Cleveland. But eventually, that makes sense and we will explain it to you later. He is sent to Ohio for Brandon Knight, John Henson, and a second-round pick.

Although this deal hasn’t been confirmed, it is considered a done deal, and the formalities about Drummond’s trade are being settled as we speak.

The already former Pistons’ center was pretty disappointed the way his trade happened. He shared his thoughts on his Twitter account.

“If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty. I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons , and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit…,” Drummond wrote.

If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty. I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons , and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit…

— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) February 6, 2020

The Pistons wanted to avoid the possibility of Drummond exercising his player option clause for the next season, which is $28.8 million, and they want to save that money for a rebuild.

Clippers Preparing for the Lakers

We’ve also seen a three-team trade that sent Isiah Thomas and Marcus Morris to LA Clippers, Jerome Robinson to Wizards and the Moe Harkless, and a 2020 first-round pick to the Knicks. After this deal, the Clippers decided to part ways with the former All-Star Thomas.

Doc Rivers will be sticking with Morris, who is one of the best defenders in the league, and one of the biggest problems for LeBron James so far. So it appears that the LAC is already preparing for the playoffs.

The Wizards and the Knicks are preparing for another summer during which they are going to be active on the market and search for game-changers.

In the meantime, one post-trade deadline move might happen, and that is JR Smith joining the LA Lakers. According to Marc Stein, the purple and gold are willing to do an audition for the veteran guard and one of the closest friends LeBron had in Cleveland.