D'Angelo Russell's tenure with Golden State was short, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn't believe the outcome was indicative of the potential the pairing had.
In speaking to reporters before the Warriors' Game 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinal round on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, Kerr was asked to reflect on Russell's 33 games with the Warriors during the 2019-2020 NBA season and how he has performed since in his tenures with the Minnesota Timberwolves and now the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Great shooter and passer," Kerr said. "He came to us to partner with Steph [Curry]. Remember, Klay [Thompson] was injured that year and Steph got hurt five games in. It wasn't really a fair assessment for D'Angelo with our team and our team with D'Angelo because of the injuries and because of where we were that whole year. I enjoyed coaching him, great guy. He's a really high-IQ player, you can see that in this series how smart he is, how skilled he is.
"In the end, I think the move, the trade we made was good for both parties. We really needed to shore up our wing defense having lost so many of our top wing defenders that year. He was able to go to Minnesota and then here where he's had a lot of success."
Russell was acquired by the Warriors, along with guard Shabazz Napier and forward Treveon Graham, in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets on July 7, 2019, that sent then-free agent forward Kevin Durant and a protected first-round pick to the Nets.
In 33 games with the Warriors, Russell averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 37.4 percent from 3-point range.
Golden State Warriors
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The Warriors then traded Russell, along with Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to the Timberwolves on Feb. 6, 2020, in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a protected future first-round draft pick, and a future second-round draft pick. Golden State later used that protected first-round pick to select Jonathan Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Russell's tenure with the Warriors was short, and since he has found success with the Lakers. However, it's safe to say everything worked out for both sides.