Why D-Lo didn't take it personally when Warriors traded him

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Since D'Angelo Russell entered the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, he technically has been traded three times.

In June 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers shipped him to the Brooklyn Nets. In the summer of 2019, the Nets -- after getting commitments from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving -- executed a sign-and-trade with the Warriors which sent D-Lo to Golden State.

And before the deadline back in early February, the Dubs sent Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Did he take any of those trades personally? Did any of them put a chip on his shoulder?

"Hell yeah. S--t. Only LA because Magic (Johnson) kicked me in my a-- on the way out," he recently told JJ Redick and Tommy Alter on "The Old Man & the Three" podcast. "And I didn't understand that. I was young and naive. It is what it is.

"Brooklyn, I had a blast. I never played basketball at that level before. That opened my eyes to a whole new level of the game. So I didn't take that personal at all.

"And Golden State, they were honest with me from Day 1. So it was what it was."

From the moment the Warriors acquired Russell, people all across the basketball world began speculating that the franchise would trade the 2019 Eastern Conference All-Star in the not-so-distant future.

RELATED: How LaMelo going No. 1 to T-Wolves could affect Warriors

During his very first media session with reporters who cover Golden State, Russell acknowledged he heard that noise and couldn't predict the future.

“You just put yourself in a position to go somewhere a long period of time," he said at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. "It may not be what it is and that’s the business. I’ve come to a realization of that, and I understand that. So every situation I’m in, I know the business side of it. We’ll see."

Also, don't forget that the Warriors gave D-Lo a four-year, $117.3 million max contract. So although he hoped to establish roots in the Bay Area, it doesn't sound like Russell has any hard feelings toward the franchise that gave him the massive payday and was transparent about his status with the organization.

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