Russell may be the key to trade for Towns

As always, thanks to everyone who submitted a question. You can send future questions to me on Twitter, or to wgoldberg@ bayareanewsgroup.com.

Q: IS KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS REALLY ON THE WARRIORS’ RADAR? — REDDIT USER KINEFRESH

Karl-Anthony Towns is on a lot of teams’ radars. The Timberwolves stink, and he may not want to wait until he’s 31 years old, like Kevin Garnett did, to join a winning team. Should Towns get disgruntled enough to demand a trade, Golden State makes sense.

They have one of his best friends — D’Angelo Russell — on the team, who could get in his ear. They’ll likely have a top-five pick that could go a long way in putting together a trade package. That said, it will take much more than that to pry Towns away from Minnesota.

Let’s look at two trades that could set the Towns market: Last summer’s Anthony Davis deal and the 2007 trade of Garnett to the Celtics.

For Davis, the Pelicans got Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, including the fourth-overall pick in the immediate draft.

For Garnett, the Timberwolves got two first-round picks, a top young player in Al Jefferson and several role players.

A Towns package will fall somewhere in the middle of those deals, in terms of value, and include multiple first-round picks and young players.

Q: DO YOU THINK THE WARRIORS WILL TRADE D-LO NEXT YEAR, OR SEE HOW HE PLAYS WITH STEPH AND KLAY? — @ BRICKBYBRICK49

Here’s my hottest take of the new year: fit is overrated. Performances like the one Russell had against the Mavericks show that tough-shot making is often more valuable than meshing skill sets.

That’s why, over the last three seasons, when push came to shove, the Warriors gave the ball to Kevin Durant and let him play in isolation.

Still, the Warriors want to see what Russell looks like playing alongside Steph and Klay before making a decision. In the meantime, they are getting a good look at how he plays with Draymond Green.

Over the last couple of weeks, Russell has seemed much more comfortable playing off the ball, and he’s developed an impressive two-man game with Green as a screener. The Warriors are encouraged about his progress.

Q: WHAT IS RUSSELL’S CEILING? LAST NIGHT HE WAS SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT FROM CURRY-RANGE AND HE IS BECOMING A RELIABLE CLUTCH SCORER. ITS AMAZING TO SEE HOW MUCH HE HAS GROWN JUST IN 30 MATCHES. — REDDIT USER VSANTHOSHKUMAR

In the nine games Russell has played in clutch time (how the NBA refers to a five-point game within the last five minutes), the Warriors are 4-5. Not bad, considering they’ve only won nine games all season.

Russell is averaging 4.3 points on 51.7% shooting in clutch time. Only one other player is averaging as many points and shooting a better percentage: Joel Embiid, a 7-foot behemoth who gets most of his shots at the rim, is averaging 4.5 points on 57.1% shooting.

I’ve made it no secret that I’m high on Russell. Toughshot making is among the rarest skills in the league, and it’s one I value over all others. It’s what sets Steph apart from Seth.

One opposing player told me he thinks Russell is a top-five point guard in the league. I wouldn’t go that far, but if you set the over-under on how many more All-Star games Russell makes at 1.5, I’ll take the over. He’s only 23.

Q: SEEING HOW ALEC BURKS HAS BEEN THE MAIN GUY MENTIONED IN TRADE RUMORS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE A REALISTIC ASSET WE CAN GET IN RETURN FOR HIM? — LEGITBEAN

Our first trade of the NBA season could offer a benchmark. The Jazz traded Dante Exum and two second-round picks to Cleveland for Jordan Clarkson.

For the Jazz, Clarkson is an upgrade over Exum. Like Burks, Clarkson is also on an expiring contract. Exum, however, has one more season after this and has been injury prone throughout his career. My guess is that Utah had to throw in an extra secondround pick to account for the additional year Exum has on his deal.

The move for the Jazz was to acquire a bench scorer. That’s the role Burks would play for a playoff contender. My math puts his value at one second-round pick. Not bad considering, five months ago, they signed him for nothing.

Q: CAN THE WARRIORS SIGN ONLY ONE OF LEE OR BOWMAN WITHOUT DOING ANY TRADE? — RAJA / HAVE YOU HEARD ANY RUMBLINGS ON HOW THE WARRIORS ARE GOING TO DEAL WITH LEE’S AND BOWMAN’S CONTRACTS TO KEEP THEM ON THE ROSTER? IT SEEMS LIKE SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO GET CUT OR TRADED. ANY IDEA WHO? — DRKNOWNUTTIN

Because of the nature of their two-way contracts, Damion Lee and Ky Bowman have only a few days left of NBA eligibility before they are forced to spend the rest of their seasons with the G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

The Warriors want to find a way to promote both of them to the 15man roster, but that could be tough to do, even by the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The most likely scenario is that they trade a minimum contract (Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III or Marquese Chriss) and choose to sign Lee to a standard contract.

As impressive as Bowman has been, Lee has emerged as an important starter, and he’s overall a more finished product.

Bowman would benefit more from an extended stint in the G League. It would allow him to play more with the ball in his hands and work on the things coaches want to see improve — situational decision making, off-thedribble shooting and initiating offense — while also giving Golden State are longer look at Jacob Evans as a backup guard.

By March, Golden State would be able to promote Bowman under a prorated minimum contract, securing both two-way players for next season.

Q: SHOULD OUR GOAL FOR 2020 BE TO PUSH FOR THE NO. 8 SEED OR SECURE A LOTTERY PICK? - REDDIT USER BR-U-V

Don’t get too carried away with the 4-1 homestand, bruv. The Warriors may not be the worst team in the league, but they are still bound for the lottery. Go get that pick. It’s a better alternative than getting smothered by one of the L.A. teams in the first round.

Q: WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING A WRITER AND HAVING STEPH AND KLAY OUT FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON FOR THE FIRST TIME? — VITOR FAVERANI

Well, considering this is my first year covering the Warriors for Bay Area News Group, it isn’t as weird for me as it is for some of the writers who have been around. But I’ll say this: Steph and Klay are omnipresent. Coaches and players still talk about them, and they are excited to eventually play with them. The players love that they’ve been on the bench lately.

I still would not rule out Steph playing this season, or even Klay. There is value in rewarding them for a rehab well done with playing time.