NBA free agents can begin verbally agreeing to contracts Sunday, and the big question is whether the Timberwolves can make a serious run at point guard D'Angelo Russell, a restricted free agent.
Today we ask: Is that a good idea?
First take: Michael Rand
A colleague of ours, when recalling a conversation he had with a friend about another local team's roster construction, conjured up a quote from the movie "Jurassic Park": "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
That feels like an apt summary of a lot of sports transactions and bears examination when it comes to Russell. A lot of energy is being spent trying to figure how the Wolves could clear cap space. But is Russell really worth it, even if they can?
Russell set career highs in pretty much every category last season, including 21.1 points and 7 assists per game — a breakout fourth-year campaign by many measures that included an All-Star selection.
But even Russell at his best (so far) didn't move the needle in some other advanced stat areas. He finished just 21st among NBA point guards in real plus-minus rating last year and was No. 11 in player efficiency rating among point guards (the Wolves' Derrick Rose was No. 10 in that latter category).
Chris Hine, Timberwolves writer: This feels like a situation similar to the one new Wolves President Gersson Rosas had in Houston with James Harden.