The Dallas Mavericks were thrown a lifeline at the NBA Draft after trading Luka Doncic away last season, as they improbably landed the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. Now, with Flagg in the lineup, Nico Harrison and the Mavs finally have a chance to see out their vision of a defense-oriented contender in the Western Conference.
Of course, that will be difficult to achieve early in the 2025-26 season while star point guard Kyrie Irving is still sidelined after tearing his ACL back in March. As a result, the Mavs need to find a solution at the lead guard spot this offseason to carry the load until Irving gets back.
Insert D'Angelo Russell, who looks likely to be the Irving replacement for the first few months of the season at least. The former Brooklyn Nets guard has been heavily linked to the Mavericks, and now a potential contract framework is in place.
As it turns out, the Nets could be getting Russell on somewhat of a bargain, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Article Continues Below
“A two-year deal from Dallas approaching the $12 million range is widely expected for D'Angelo Russell … largely because the whole league knows that the Mavericks can only offer the former All-Star guard a two-year pact that starts at the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception,” Stein and Fischer wrote.
Chris Paul is another option for the Mavericks, but that looks unlikely with the future Hall of Famer wanting to be closer to his family back in Los Angeles. As a result, Russell is one of the better names that will be available for them on the market.
Russell's role and overall numbers took a hit last season, which he split between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. In just over 25 minutes per game, he scored 12.6 points a night while averaging more than five assists per contest.
For a Mavericks team that doesn't need a star in the backcourt, Russell could be the kind of viable bridge option that can keep them in playoff contention until Irving gets back on the floor.