This season hasn’t been short of some major surprises so far. However, one that tops it all is the Golden State Warriors turning out to be a top team in the league this quick. Despite not having Klay, the Warriors were unstoppable at the beginning of this season. A good amount of credit goes to Andrew Wiggins who really stepped up his game. However, before him, the Warriors had other plans with guard D’Angelo Russell.

The Warriors were coming off a fresh loss in the NBA finals in 2019. It also marked the end of their dominant squad as Kevin Durant left the Bay. While Durant went to the Brooklyn Nets, a Nets star came to the Bay to replace him. D’Angelo Russell came in and the Warriors hoped to create a shooting trio.

However, just after clocking 33 games, he was later traded for Andrew Wiggins. Recently, coach Steve Kerr revealed why they traded Russell.

Why did Warriors and Russell part ways?

Russell came in as a Warrior with high expectations on his back. Coming off a fresh All-Star selection, Russell was impressive on the Nets. Hence, fans had high hopes for the star. However, things did not seem to work out and they traded later him in the season. In a recent press conference, Kerr touched on this topic and revealed the reason behind Russell’s early departure.

The 56-YO detailed: “Well, it was definitely a trade of need for us. We’d lost so much wing depth with Klay’s injury, Kevin Durant’s departure, Shaun Livingston’s retirement, Andre Iguodala’s departure. So we just really needed to sign someone big and Andrew Wiggins played really well for us. And then to gain a really good young talent like Jonathan was a great addition to the team.”

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With Russell coming in, he sure was an outstanding talent. But as seen with his role on the Nets, he was more of an on-ball player. This meant, he needed the ball to make an impact. However, the Warriors already had primary ball handlers in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Hence, despite him being an excellent player, it would not have worked out for the Warriors in long term. So after playing just 33 games, the Bay sent him to Minnesota.

They got in Wiggins in return, who filled in two of their problems. Firstly, he was a skilled player off the ball and could take the wing. Moreover, his on-ball defense really suited the Warriors’ play style. Hence, he could really elevated himself and is playing at an All-Star level this 2021-2022 season.

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Do you think this Warrior team can win a championship this season? Let us know in the comments below.