The three-team trade that sent D'Angelo Russell back to the Los Angeles Lakers marked the fourth time a team has traded the point guard in his eight NBA seasons.
But even though Russell is back with the team that drafted him in 2015, he still hasn't spent time more in any place than he did with the Timberwolves over parts of four seasons.
At this point in his career, Russell has developed a thick skin when it comes to the business of the NBA. Or as he put it, "It's the NBA, it's where you've got to normalize things that aren't normal."
When a team trades him, there's no hard feelings, even if Russell thinks they are making a mistake.
"Obviously, it's a situation that came to an end for me," Russell said Friday morning at shootaround before a game at Target Center. "I've been traded a few times and I didn't really have a sense of why. I never really try to look into it. I'm at the point of my career where I am who I am. I've said it before, if a team is going to utilize me and take advantage of me, then, smart team. If not, then opposite of a smart team."
Even if there are lingering feelings over the trade, Russell had nothing but positive things to say about his time living in Minnesota. He said his time here allowed him to become more "family-oriented."
"It allowed me to figure out my life outside of basketball a little more, and it's much appreciated," Russell said. "Fans here were amazing. I have nothing bad to say about Minnesota. If you're not here or you haven't lived here or anything like that, then you're not aware of how good of a city [Minneapolis] is and a sports town, how committed fans are to their sports, things like that. So the city has a lot to offer. They treated me with great respect."
Russell was glad he was going to get the chance to go against former teammates and friend Karl-Anthony Towns after he recovered from a right calf injury and said he wished the best for Naz Reid in Reid's recovery from a broken left wrist bone.
