NBA free agency is a unique experience. Most of us have only been witnesses to what the offseason months can bring, but Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell lived it this past summer.
It was his first time being thrown into the free-agent pool and before he landed with the Warriors at the end of June, he was taking it all in just as we were.
"You hear all the chatter, when the free agency hits or whatnot," Russell told Justin Termine on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I'd never done free agency -- I never got to participate in it."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
D-Lo was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 Draft. He was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets in June of 2017 where he spent two seasons.
"I was just going with the flow, and I heard all these teams kinda mentioning to me, or not mentioning me, but putting me on their radar," he added. "It was up to me to kind of make a decision on where I wanted to go."
Russell knew he wasn't going back to Brooklyn and also figured he had to wait for Kevin Durant to make a move before his future could be decided.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
"And then this came upon, as far as 'I might go to Golden State,' and I'm like 'How does that work? I'm going to go through free agency? I'm going to take a meeting? Like, how does that work?'"
These were important questions to ask, knowing everyone is monitoring each move you make and you're not sure which rumors are worth paying attention to.
[RELATED: Steph, D-Lo skip for joy after first Dubs win]
KD would make his way to Brooklyn and, as Russell explained, all the puzzle pieces joined together from him to join Golden State. And as difficult as free agency can be with so many unknowns, he said it wasn't as stressful as he anticipated.
Related content from TMZ Sports
AB retaking condo-trashing deposition during Week 12
Former Dodger Paul Lo Duca sued by MLB umpire
Vallejo native CC Sabathia posts emotional retirement letter
Chris Bosh calls Tyler Herro 'best rookie in the draft'