The Dallas Mavericks and D’Angelo Russell have agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The signing comes at a pivotal time for the Mavericks, as Kyrie Irving is not expected to return until February or March, effectively making Russell the team’s starting point guard for a significant portion of the upcoming season.
The move fits snugly into Nico Harrison’s increasingly puzzling offseason timeline — one that has drawn sharp criticism following the Luka Dončić trade. Notably, Harrison cited “laziness and lack of defense” as central reasons for moving on from Dončić. Yet, within five months, he’s signed Russell, a player widely regarded as a defensive liability at the guard position.
Still, the urgency to find an interim solution at point guard was at the top of Harrison’s offseason checklist. With the free agent market running dry and limited options available, the Mavericks pivoted to Russell, who now finds himself alongside rookie sensation Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis on a team hoping to stay afloat in the West until Irving returns.
D'Angelo Russell was the best the Mavs could make of a bad situation
Russell split last season between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets, after falling out of favor in L.A. under newly-hired coach JJ Redick. His benching was largely performance-based — a combination of porous defense and streaky shooting that ultimately prompted the Lakers to move him. Across both stints, Russell averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 assists on 39% shooting from the field and 31.4% from 3— steep declines from his production just two seasons ago.
That said, Dallas offers Russell a low-risk, high-reward opportunity. Surrounded by arguably the most well-rounded roster of his career, he’ll be expected to bring mid-level scoring, reliable ball movement and a stabilizing presence to the Mavericks’ backcourt.
But if there’s one thing that has to improve? The defense — it just has to be better than Luka Dončić’s. If Harrison and Mavs brass soured on their future with the Slovenian star because of alleged concerns about his work ethic and commitment on that end of the court, well, they probably won't like what's in store this coming season either. Russell's physical limitations are what they are; he's never going to be a plus on the defensive end. But that's no excuse not to 1) commit and 2) be in the right spots at the right time, and Russell has all too often flunked both of those tests over the course of his career.
Again, Dallas needed ball-handling and shot creation, two things that were in pretty short supply this offseason. And there's still a solid defensive infrastructure in place around him, especially with Flagg now in town. But the next time Harrison preaches about culture, it just got a little harder to take him at his word.