NBA Trade Rumors: Golden State Warriors rejected multiple Timberwolves offers before finally trading D'Angelo Russell

In what turned out to be one of the biggest trades of 2020, D'Angelo Russell was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in February. In a multi-player trade deal, the Golden State Warriors landed Andrew Wiggins along with draft picks. Some recent NBA trade rumors have given some insights into what exactly transpired behind this deal.

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Golden State Warriors denied any NBA trade rumors surrounding D'Angelo Russell last year

Warriors initially denied the claims about trading Russell to another team

Minnesota Timberwolves had their eyes set on Russell ever since he was traded to the Warriors last summer. Many experts questioned D'Lo's fit with the Warriors since the 2018 champions already had Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as their guards.

But the Golden State Warriors management denied reports that claimed Russell was being looked at only as a trade asset. Golden State's General Manager Bob Myers assured the fans that the former Brooklyn Nets star will definitely be a part of the Warriors team. Bob said:

"I know it's been written and speculated and that's fine -- that's what everybody's job is to do, we didn't sign him with the intention of just trading him."

With Klay Thompson sitting out for the whole season followed by Steph Curry's injury, D'Angelo did play a lot of games for the Warriors during the 2019-20 regular season. But this run didn't last long as the Timberwolves finally got their wish fulfilled in February.

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NBA Trade Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves were turned down multiple times by the Golden State Warriors

The Timberwolves are planning to rebuild around the duo of D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns

D'Angelo Russell, along with Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman was traded to the Timberwolves just before the trade deadline in February 2020. The Golden State Warriors received Andrew Wiggins along with 2 future draft picks.

The Warriors have acquired Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 first round draft pick (top 3 protected), and a 2021 second round draft pick from the Timberwolves in exchange for Jacob Evans III, D’Angelo Russell, and Omari Spellman. pic.twitter.com/ozBrDQJTcc

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 6, 2020

According to the latest NBA trade rumors, the Golden State Warriors rejected the Timberwolves' request for trading Russell multiple times during the 2019-20 season! After failing to get the 2019 All-Star in free agency, Minnesota had been pestering the Golden State Warriors about the point guard.

Minnesota's president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said:

"You're going to get a lot of no's before you get the yes."

Keeping this in mind, the Timberwolves played the waiting game well after hearing 'no' from the Warriors repeatedly. Their persistence finally paid off as Steve Kerr and the crew agreed for a trade deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Warriors in exchange for D'Angelo Russell.

The Warriors have acquired Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 first round draft pick (top 3 protected), and a 2021 second round draft pick from the Timberwolves in exchange for Jacob Evans III, D’Angelo Russell, and Omari Spellman. pic.twitter.com/ozBrDQJTcc

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 6, 2020

The Minnesota Timberwolves finally teamed Russell up with Karl-Anthony Towns and are currently looking to build a team around these two superstars. Despite finishing 14th in the Western Conference this season, the presence of Russell and Towns has brought some optimism regarding the Timberwolves' future.

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"De'Angelo Russell does not fit there whatsoever. They just did not want to see Kevin Durant walk out the door with no compensation. ... They will trade him. It's just a matter of when." - @TheSteinLine on @dpshow

— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) July 1, 2019