NBA free agency rumors: Warriors to trade D'Angelo Russell at some point

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Overnight, the Warriors re-tooled their roster.

After Kevin Durant informed the Warriors he would sign with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency, general manager Bob Myers acted swiftly to bring his team into the post-KD era.

Hours after Durant's decision was made, the Warrior reportedly struck a deal with the Nets to orchestrate a sign-and-trade that would send Durant to Brooklyn with D'Angelo Russell coming back. Before the deal could be made, the Warriors reportedly sent Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to facilitate the trade for Russell.

Just like that, the Warriors had gotten younger by adding Russell, an emerging star, to the core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The Russell era in the Bay might be short-lived, though, according to The New York Times' Marc Stein, who noted Monday on "The Dan Patrick Show" that the Warriors eventually will trade Russell.

"Next year, their season is going to be so fascinating," Stein said of the Warriors. "Because basically, this is all about the future. D'Angelo Russell doesn't fit there whatsoever. This was exactly how you described it. They just wanted to make sure that they did not see Kevin Durant, arguably the best in the league when healthy, walk out the door for nothing.

"They got a 23-year-old All-Star, and they will trade him. It's just a matter of when. Do they keep him for a whole season? Do they even trade him at midseason? But, you know, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, you might have heard of them, they are a pretty renowned backcourt. Those guys aren't going anywhere. So, there really isn't room for D'Angelo. Obviously, Klay is going to miss the bulk of next season, so in the short term, yes. But this was really about the Warriors' protecting themselves for the future.

"And next season, the first season in this new palace they've built in San Francisco, it's really all about setting them for the future. They want to be able in Year 2, to move forward at the level they've been accustomed to watching for the last five years."

Whether or not the Warriors end up trading Russell, it was a smart move by the Dubs, one that reportedly took the help of Durant and his camp to complete.

The Warriors now have a 23-year-old All-Star on a manageable contract. Russell could help form the new championship nucleus in the Bay or be flipped for other players that fit the Warriors' current timeline.

[RELATED: It's official: Warriors refreshing, moving toward future]

Russell took a leap last season with the Nets, averaging 21.1 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting while leading the up-and-coming Nets to the playoffs.

Watching Russell work in Steve Kerr's system should be a treat, no matter how long it lasts.

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