D'Angelo Russell unfollows Timberwolves

Yes, Russell (@dloading) has unfollowed the Minnesota Timberwolves (@timberwolves) on Instagram. 

It's the modern sign of an athlete's discontent with his employer, whether the issue is coaching, playing time or money. OK, it's usually about money. 

In Russell's case, he's in the final year of a four-year contract that pays him more than $31 million this season. He's also scoring the fewest points and taking the fewest shots of any of his four seasons with the Wolves. The Wolves made an aggressive trade to add Rudy Gobert to their core of Russell, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, one that cost them five draft picks and half of their bench.

The 17-21 T-Wolves have been without Towns for 17 games, and won't have him back for weeks. With very little draft capital left, Russell and his big expiring deal are Minnesota's best - and perhaps only option to shake up the roster. With Anthony Edwards becoming the team's primary scorer, DAR might be expendable.

Russell's other social media move was much more straightforward. Fred VanVleet tweeted "Bet on yourself" back in 2016, after he rejected two teams' offers to draft him and sign him to developmental league deals for $20,000. 

VanVleet went on to make the Raptors team in training camp, and went on to sign deals with Toronto that totaled more than $100 million.

Perhaps the T-Wolves offered Russell a non-maximum extension, and Russell felt so insulted that he unfollowed them. Turning down a multi-year deal in order to become an unrestricted free agent this summer is the definition of betting on himself. But it's looking likely that whether Russell gets traded before the deadline or not, his future will not be in Minnesota.