With less than 24 hours to go before the NBA trade deadline, the Knicks are reportedly still interested in acquiring D'Angelo Russell from the Golden State Warriors.
When news of the Knicks discussing a possible deal for Russell broke, there was a thought that Steve Mills may have been the driving force in eyeing the 23-year old point guard. But a day removed from firing Mills as president of the Knicks, The Athletic's Shams Charnia reports the organization remains interested in Russell, though they haven't narrowed the price gap.
Russell was a restricted free agent last summer and the Knicks could have signed the point guard to an offer sheet, but chose not to. What remains to be seen is the type of compensation Russell would cost the Knicks, who acquired two additional first-round draft picks ahead of last year's trade deadline when they sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.
The Warriors are likely looking for draft picks in exchange for Russell, something Ian Begley of SNY reports the remaining front office members of the Knicks are hesitant to part with.
The second overall pick in the 2015 draft, Russell spent the first two years of his career with the Lakers before being traded to the Nets ahead of the 2017-18 season. Last year, Russell turned into an NBA All Star and helped lead Brooklyn to the playoffs.
When the Nets signed superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, Williams moved on to Golden State in a sign-and-trade deal, landing a four-year, $117.3 million contract. After posting a career-high 21.1 points per game for Brooklyn last year, Russell is on pace to top that this season with a 23.8 scoring average in Golden State.
