Warriors To Sign Former Laker On Max Contract, Iguodala Joining Grizzlies: Report

D’Angelo Russell was a player in demand leading up to free agency on June 30 and many experts had predicted a potential return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the Brooklyn Nets point guard. But the 23-year-old looks to be on his way to Golden State Warriors after they agreed a sign-and-trade deal with the Nets on Sunday night.

The Nets guard is a restricted free agent and was open to staying with his current employers but the impending arrival of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan meant they had to offload Russell this summer. The Lakers were favorites, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors have swooped in and agreed a deal for the 2019 All-Star.

“Golden State and Brooklyn have agreed on a sign-and-trade, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Warriors on a four-year, $117M maximum contract, league sources tell ESPN,” the NBA insider said on his official Twitter account.

The Warriors lost Durant to the Nets just a few hours after free agency began on Sunday, but are expected to retain Klay Thompson, who is also an unrestricted free agent. The latter, however, will not be available at least until March next year after suffering an ACL injury during the 2019 NBA Finals.

Russell is expected to replace one half of the “Splash Brothers” alongside Stephen Curry next season. The Warriors had to unload salary in order to make the sign-and-trade deal work and have done so by offloading Andre Iguodala.

Wojnarowski reported that the Warriors have traded Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies while also sending a 2024 protected first-round pick in the 2024 (protected 1-4), 2025 (protected 1) and 2026 unprotected. The veteran shooting guard has been a vital part of the Warriors team in the last six seasons and was the NBA Finals MVP when they won the 2015 NBA championship.