The Dallas Mavericks are on a downward spiral right now. They have lost five of their last six games. One of Dallas' main challenges has been fixing the mess Nico Harrison left behind. If you recall, the team recently fired their former general manager, as fans had been calling for a change since last season's Luka Doncic trade.
Yet, now that Harrison is gone, the organization is starting to realize they might have made the wrong decision with a couple of moves. For example, the team has two former Los Angeles Lakers on its roster: Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell. The word former is a term the Lakers understood quite well, as there was a reason Los Angeles moved on from both players, and Dallas is learning this the hard way.
Harrison, though, failed to realize Davis and Russell's history with the Lakers. Instead, he traded for Davis and absorbed his three-year contract, meaning Dallas is paying him $54.1 million for this season. Russell, on the other hand, is making $5.6 million this season and recently signed a two-year, $13 million contract. Both players are making 60 million dollars combined.
So, what's the issue?
Mavericks ignored Russell and Davis' red flags from Los Angeles
For starters, a lot. The team, under the Harrison regime, traded for Davis without realizing his past injury history. Davis' injury history intensified during his second season with the Lakers, when he missed 36 games due to a knee injury. He then missed 40 games during his third season, as Davis' injury history became the norm in LA.
This is something Harrison drastically overlooked. Currently, Davis has played in just 14 games since February. It's a trend Mavs' fans are tired of seeing. On the other hand, Luka Doncic has played in 11 games for the Lakers this season, while averaging 34.6 points per game. It's no wonder fans are ready to move on from Davis, as his problematic injury issues are a thing the Lakers knew all too well.
However, that isn't the only issue Harrison failed to ignore. The other is Russell. Dallas signed Russell this offseason in hopes that he would hold down the fort until Kyrie Irving returns. The signing came with hope and promise, but has now turned into a risk Dallas can't ignore.
The main issue is Russell's inconsistency. For example, in the Mavs' most recent defeat, Russell balled out. He scored 24 points against the New York Knicks and shot 60 percent from the field. In contrast, the game prior, Russell scored 8 points and shot 36.4 percent overall, while missing all five of his 3-point attempts. Not to mention, he had four turnovers. This is a trend the organization and fans have to be tired of seeing.
It's no wonder Russell's role in Dallas has been in jeopardy lately. The Mavs desperately need a true facilitator at the guard position, and with Dante Exum out for the season, they'll need to make a change soon.
So, going back to the question above. There is an issue in Dallas with these two former Lakers. Dallas is paying $60 million for two players they can't trust due to injuries or inconsistency. It's a trend fans are ready to move on from now that Harrison is gone.
It's very likely that with Nico Harrison out of the picture, Dallas could move one or both players mentioned above. The team is likely going to focus on their future with Cooper Flagg, as there is a high probability they could engage in trade talks, something they have made clear.
So, it seems the Los Angeles Lakers were right all along not to hold onto D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis, and the Mavericks need to get this money off of their books as soon as they can.