The Washington Wizards could be in the market for a guard this coming offseason. However, they are reportedly not interested in D’Angelo Russell.
“The Wizards are not interested in Russell,” said Darren Wolfson during a recent episode of his podcast. “Yes, the Wizards are looking for a lead guard, and I am told no interest in D’Angelo Russell.”
This season, the former All-Star helped the Minnesota Timberwolves make a playoff appearance for just the second time since the start of the 2004-05 season. He recorded 18.1 points, 7.1 assists and 2.7 made 3-pointers per game in the 2021-22 regular season. His performance helped Minnesota nab a spot in the play-in tournament with a 46-36 standing in the West.
In the play-in tournament, the team beat the Los Angeles Clippers to gain the No. 7 seed and the right to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. But the Grizzlies proved to be too much for the Timberwolves, defeating them in six matches.
Russell did not play as well as he likely hoped he would against Memphis. He scored just 12.0 points per game on an inefficient 33.3 percent shooting clip. He also saw his production dip in the other departments, recording 6.7 assists and 2.0 made 3-pointers per contest.
It is unclear if a trade is in Russell’s future. The Ohio State University product is under contract until the end of the 2022-23 season. Furthermore, he is notably a good friend of Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns.
The team looks to have a bright future ahead of it. In addition to Russell and Towns, Minnesota has youngster Anthony Edwards.
Meanwhile, the Wizards might want to look elsewhere in their search for a guard. It also remains to be seen if they will continue building around star Bradley Beal or launch a massive rebuild by moving on from the three-time All-Star.
