Of course the biggest trade target that the Chicago Bulls could’ve gone after at the deadline was the former Warriors point guard D’Angelo Russell. He was the biggest name moved, and the biggest deal made outside of the Rockets landing RoCo and sending out a player like center Clint Capela in return.
The experiment for Russell in Golden State didn’t work out as planned. The star guard duo that sees the Warriors top two players currently injured kept the intrigue out of what D-Lo would bring to the table alongside them shelved for the season so far. Point guard Stephen Curry got to play in a few games with D-Lo before breaking his hand. But shooting guard Klay Thompson never got to play in a game with him this season.
Before the Warriors were able to give Russell a chance playing alongside Klay and Steph, they shipped him off to the Timberwolves. D-Lo wound up joining Beasley in the same landing spot. But both guards would be good fits with the Bulls for very different reasons. The Bulls could use Russell because he could give them that star presence they so desire and need.
In 33 games played so far this season between the Warriors and Timberwolves, Russell averaged 23.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. D-Lo is actually having a career year in a lot of significant stat categories, including a player efficiency rating of 19.3.
But how bad the Warriors were doing while he was starring for them held back the perception of how good he is playing this season. The Timberwolves got him at a good time at a price tag that was much lower than expected.