D’Angelo Russell has matured based on outside appearances since his days in L.A., or at least we think so. The chemistry in the Miami Heat locker room is not worth testing that theory.
Not that people don’t make mistakes that should be forgiven, but there are some things that are never forgotten and his episode before leaving L.A. is one of those. It isn’t worth sacrificing the chemistry, trust, and bond of this locker room based on that scenario along with the potential effects based on the players that would no longer be in the locker room as the result of any potential move to land D’Lo.
That’s the perfect segue into the next reason why it’s a bad idea. What would it cost the Miami Heat to land D’Angelo Russell? Definitely Justise Winslow, to the joy of some out there including some Miami Heat Faithful(not here though), with a prayer perhaps Dion Waiters, but that would be doing the Heat too much of a favor.
It would likely take giving the Warriors back Kendrick Nunn, while also dropping in a Duncan Robinson and/or Derrick Jones Jr., while again you could only pray that they would take Waiters. This is another reason why it would be a bad idea, while I don’t think he would add a heck of a lot if anything over Justise based on what Winslow gives in areas that Russell doesn’t, the cost of getting it done would be too great.
Another lovely segue here, but while D’Angelo Russell isn’t a god awful defender, he isn’t a Miami Heat type of lead defender and even if he’s as offensively gifted as he is. In example, Justise Winslow currently sits third in the entire NBA in defensive win shares, only behind two shot-blocking centers in Joel Embiid and Deandre Ayton. Jimmy Butler ranks 14th, Kendrick Nunn ranks right behind him at 15th, while Bam Adebayo ranks as 23rd, but all again in example.