Bob Myers Addresses Speculation Warriors Will Trade D'Angelo Russell

Almost immediately after reports surfaced that the Warriors would acquire D'Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets, people began predicting that the Dubs would eventually trade the All-Star guard elsewhere.

On Monday afternoon, Golden State general manager Bob Myers was asked about that narrative.

"I know it's been written and speculated and that's fine -- that's what everybody's job is to do," the two-time NBA Executive of the Year told reporters in Oakland. "We didn't sign him with the intention of just trading him.

"We haven't even seen him play in our uniform yet and a lot of people already have us trading him. That's not how we're viewing it."

Is it possible that the Dubs trade Russell down the line if they have the opportunity to acquire a bigger star (we are looking at you, Giannis Antetokounmpo)? Of course. But that isn't imminent.

In fact, CBA rules prohibit the Warriors from parting ways with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft until Dec. 15 at the earliest.

"Let's just see what we have. Let's see what he is. Let's see how he fits," Myers said. "Part of our job in the front office and the coaching staff and the organization is, 'How does it all work?' I don't blame anybody -- this is maybe fan-driven -- but so much of our sport at least is, 'What are you doing next?' We gotta figure out what we're doing now.

"And that applies to a guy like D'Angelo. We haven't even seen him play ... and we won't even know until Klay comes back how that fits. We're just happy that we got a young player that has a lot of upside in our opinion."

When Kevin Durant announced that he was going to sign with the Nets, the Warriors didn't want to lose KD without getting something in return.

So they agreed to send Brooklyn a 2020 first-round pick (top-twenty protected), and also had to give up Andre Iguodala and a 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) to make the financials work.

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If they didn't go this route, the Warriors' only path to acquiring someone like a 23-year-old All-Star would be by trading Klay Thompson or Draymond Green.

Now, Golden State has Steph Curry, Draymond, Klay and Russell under contract, and will be able to sign somebody really good next July using the $17 million trade exception created in the Iguodala deal.

As Myers said: "We're excited at the possibilities."

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