Despite a complicated last Playoffs campaign, D’Angelo Russell was clear about his future: the leader wants to sign an extension this summer to stay a few more years in Minneapolis. On the side of management Wolves, we would prefer not to hurry and wait to see the level of the leader in this 2.0 workforce.
With the establishment of trade which brought Rudy Gobert back to town, we can say that the management of Wolves has taken the next step. With an Anthony Edwards already very successful and growing, a Towns-Gobert duo as complementary as it is exciting and two/three interesting players whose progress we will follow, the Minnesota franchise is likely to click next season. Now, there is still a file to manage on the desk of Tim Connelly, new GM of Wolves: what to do with D’Angelo Russell, free agent in the summer of 2023? Author of a rather good regular season, the leader has wallowed well in the Playoffs. A filthy 2022 campaign that called into question the future of the 2015 Draft No. 2 in Minneapolis, who found himself in rumors of trade throughout June. But the storm seems to have passed and as he enters his final year of contract, Russell looks set to stay in his current franchise. Well integrated with the Wolves of his friend Karl-Anthony Towns and eligible for an extension this summer, the All Star 2019 was very clear when The Athletic questioned him on the matter.
” Yes of course ! Obviously every player wants overtime, you want to be in that position. –D’Angelo Russell
A statement not really surprising when you look at the situation of the leader and the franchise. Wolves are one of the young teams on the rise, with big ambitions. The addition of Rudy Gobert further increases interest around the franchise and the ambitions that go with it. For a point guard like D’Angelo Russell, who has the sense of the game on pick-and-roll and masters the art of sending caviars to his teammates, the Wolves configuration version 2022-23 seems perfect. Axis 1-5 Russell Gobert is already shaping up to be a weapon of mass destruction next season, and we can expect some big highlights between the two men. With a leader like this, Gobert could show an offensive dimension quite different from that displayed in Utah, where he has always been underused on this side of the field. But the doubts around D-Lo are not dismissed: even if he has been quite good since his arrival, the former Nets has not fully regained the level that made him an All-Star in 2019. And it’s not his series of Playoffs against the Grizzlies that will reassure his management. On the side of Tim Connelly, even if we seem to consider that Russell is still part of the project, the time is not to rush. The team is nice, Russell has everything to have fun, but now we have to prove that he is worth the extension.
Long in discussions for a possible trade, D’Angelo Russell is still expected to be at Wolves next season. But for the moment, no extension in sight for D-Lo who will first have to prove to his management that he can perform in this strengthened team.
Sources : The Athletic, realgm.com