D’Angelo Russell 2019: The two reason why the Phoenix Suns didn’t pursue Brooklyn Nets Star

As D’Angelo Russell is set to carve his next chapter with the Golden State Warriors, others are wondering why the Phoenix Suns didn’t pursue the talented young guard. This is doubly confusing since Russell and Devin Booker – Suns’ core player – are close friends.

Surely that would’ve made a lot of sense since working on both players’ chemistry wouldn’t be all that complicated. However, as this year’s free agency comes to a close, the Suns ended with Ricky Rubio instead of D’Angelo Russell.

Why? Well, apparently the organization fears that D’Angelo Russell might be a bad influence to Devin Booker. This is surprising given that the 23-year-old was the leader of the Brooklyn Nets’ prior to him being traded.

D’Angelo Russell caught carrying marijuana in New York

Sure, D’Angelo Russell was caught carrying a can of marijuana in New York last May. But that’s not grounds for labeling him a bad influence, neither is his rather messy separation with the Lakers.

Even Magic Johnson admitted that D’Angelo Russell has mature through the years as evidenced by how he behaved with the Net. As such, it appears that the main reason why the Suns didn’t pursue the rising star is due to cap space.

D’Angelo Russell was commanding a price of $27.3 million a year, a figure that couldn’t be matched by the Suns on account that they can only shell out $22.8 million. If the team did commit, however, they’d be over the cap and would’ve likely bled financially in the long run. Thus the Suns’ decision in giving Rubio $51 million on a three-year contract.

D’Angelo Russell not likely staying with the Warriors long term

So is D’Angelo Russell a good fit for the Warriors? For now, yes, he is. With Klay Thompson recovering from his ACL injury, the team will need another superstar to take some of the defenders off of Stephen Curry’s back. Russell could definitely do that, while simultaneously creating plays for his other teammates.

However, it appears that the Dubs aren’t interested in keeping D’Angelo Russell long term as claimed by Marc Stein of the New York Times. Stein’s contention is that Russell’s skill set doesn’t fit the Warrior’s playstyle, and the only reason they acquire him was due to them wanting a trade piece in the future. Hopefully, D’Angelo Russell proves his doubters wrong and flourish in the Warrior’s system. After all, he’s a young player and certainly has the talent to take his abilities to the next level.