The Dallas Mavericks and guard D’Angelo Russell have agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal, according to ESPN’s Sham Charania. Russell was traded to the Brooklyn Nets last season after spending the prior 2.5 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving for the majority of 2025-26 while he recovers from a torn ACL. Dallas desperately needs a guard to replace his minutes and usage. The Mavericks are financially strapped and don’t have a lot of spending power, so they’ll use the tax-payer mid-level exception to land Russell on a two-year deal, which gives them their starting point guard at a low cost.
Grade: B-
Russell has his warts as a player. He’s not a good defender and can be inefficient (he shot 39 percent from the field last season). His shot selection leaves a lot to be desired, and his decision-making oscillates from sharp to lackadaisical, sometimes from one possession to the next.
But he does still offer some clearly valuable skills for Dallas.
Russell undoubtedly can score the ball. While he isn’t efficient from the field, he’s a career 36 percent 3-point shooter on good volume. He works well as a ball-handler in pick-and-rolls, which makes him an excellent partner for the lob threat trio of Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Even when Irving does eventually return, Russell can slide off the ball because of his potent shooting ability and provide some extra creation juice in the playoffs.
The simple analysis of this signing is the Mavericks needed a proficient ball-handler and shooter to supplement the loss of Irving, and they now have it in the form of a cheap, low-risk deal.
