Steve Kerr: D'Angelo Russell's fit with Warriors 'questionable' from the start
From the moment D'Angelo Russell joined the Golden State Warriors, there were questions surrounding how he fit in coach Steve Kerr's rotation.
Over the past five years, Golden State has been spoiled with one of the best backcourts in the NBA with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Adding another guard to that tandem — even an All-Star talent like Russell — could have created a logjam.
However, injuries to Thompson and Curry halted the All-Star backcourt trio experiment before it could even begin, and Russell was traded at the deadline Thursday to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and draft picks.
Kerr spoke to the media for the first time since the trade Friday, and the Warriors coach brought up Russell's unconventional fit in Golden State's backcourt.
DEADLINE RECAP: Winners, losers and the teams in between
"I think to be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him," Kerr said. "Nobody questioned that. When you already have Steph and Klay, and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit."
With doubt about Russell's ability to share a backcourt with Curry and Thompson from the start, Kerr said his fit was one of the reasons Russell's name was regularly involved in trade rumors.
"It was one of the reasons the trade rumors started before the season even began," Kerr said. "I think D'Angelo understood that when he signed the contract, and our organization understood that as well.
"I think we at least got a 50-game look at what it might look like. Of course that kind of went awry when Steph got injured, but you get a good enough look and a long enough look to picture how the positional fit goes, and I think we have an idea that the other player makes more sense, and in this case, I would say for both teams."
With Russell now headed to Minnesota, Kerr will turn his focus to building his new backcourt while Thompson and Curry are still rehabbing. Golden State's guard combinations will take on a youth movement with Ky Bowman, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and Zach Norvell Jr. taking over a substantial share of minutes.
Warriors Wire is part of the Paste BN Sports Media Group.