By Evan Orris

Last off-season the Minnesota Timberwolves missed their chance to land All-Star D’Angelo Russell. They refused to let Russell slip through their grasp a second time.

Hours before the trade deadline closed, the Minnesota Timberwolves shipped former number one pick Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick to the Warriors in exchange for PG D’Angelo Russell.

D-Lo played only 33 games in a Warriors uniform. Golden State acquired Russell this off-season in a sign-and-trade deal that sent All-Star Kevin Durant to Brooklyn. Russell, who is only 23, will be on his fourth team in four years. The former Ohio State Buckeye made the All-Star team last year with the Nets, and his averaging 23 points per game to go with 6 assists this season.

Russell will be joining his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota. The two have been playing together since the AAU circuits when they were teenagers. They also were in the same draft class, and were the top two picks. Towns going number one to Minnesota, and Russell going number two overall to the Lakers.

“To wake up and see the situation that I’m in and feel the love of somebody wanting me to be here … it’s a surreal moment for me right now.” Russell said about playing with Towns.

The two of them will offer up a lethal pick-and-roll, or pick-and-pop, combo. Russell will also be the main floor general for this team. The Wolves will look to both him and KAT to be the main source of offense for the team.

The Timberwolves also acquired Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans in the same trade. Evans’ specialty is his defense. He has the ability to defend both the guard and wing positions. He’s lengthy, and can clog up passing lanes. His numbers won’t stand out on paper, but if he improves his offensive play, he can be a key-contributor for the Wolves. Meanwhile, Spellman is a stretch big. He can shoot it from the outside, or post up on the inside. His shooting percentages have improved so far this season. He is shooting around 40-percent from 3-point range and 50-percent from the field, while averaging around 8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Wolves’ GM Gersson Rosas seems to have a true vision for this team now. With the team towards the bottom of the league in 3-point percentage and overall field-goal percentage, Rosas needed to surround Russell and KAT with the necessary talent that they needed. Not only did they trade for Russell, but they also received James Johnson, Juan Hernangomez, and Malik Beasley in the trade that sent Robert Covington to the Rockets. All these players are versatile, and can shoot the three and attack the lane.

Many Wolves fans may have mixed feelings seeing Andrew Wiggins leave. Originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the T-Wolves acquired Wiggins in 2014 in the famous Kevin Love trade. Wiggins has been on the Wolves his whole career up until now. Wiggins has often been criticized for never reaching his full potential, but he his far from a bust. Recently, Wiggins has been a surprise this season, and has looked like a new player at times. Wiggins will look to adjust to the Warriors system, and play along Steph Curry and Klay Thompson next season.

“We’re gonna ask [Wiggins] to play a role, to play alongside a group of players who have been really successful, and to slide into a role that’s kind of cut out for him, to be honest, at that small forward spot,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ” … It all looks good, you know, the puzzle looks good. But now it’s our job and it’s Andrew’s job to try to make this work.”

At almost the mid-way point of the season, the Timberwoves own a 16-35 record, and are in 14th place in the Western conference. The Timberwolves finally snapped a 13-game losing streak last night, even without the newly acquired Russell, who sat out with a quad injury. The win and the restructured roster have given many Minneapolis citizens hope for the future of the team.