It's no secret that D'Angelo Russell's time with the Dallas Mavericks has gone nearly as badly as possible up to this point, yet a new report from HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto is giving wind to Dallas potentially being able to move on from Russell ahead of the February 5 deadline. According to Scotto, the Milwaukee Bucks would be willing to make a cost-controlled upgrade for a ball handler/shot creator, as Russell and Cam Thomas are rumored trade targets for the Bucks.
With Russell having an almost $6 million player option for the Mavericks next season and being completely out of the rotation at this point, the Mavericks would undoubtedly take the opportunity to move on from the 29-year-old veteran. However, this will come at a cost per Scotto, as Dallas would likely have to include one or both of their second-round picks in 2030 and 2032 to successfully get Milwaukee to take on Russell's contract.
While Dallas may have to part ways with their only second-round picks in the foreseeable future to offload Russell per these rumors, it'd be a win to get off his contract so long as they don't have to give up any young flyers or first-round picks. Russell has been an abomination in Dallas this season, so getting off his player option for next season would be an absolute win, especially given the success rate of second-round picks in today's league.
Mavericks may have a pipeline to offload Russell to Milwaukee
Russell has played just one game in the entire month of January, and this only came in a January 10 bout versus the Chicago Bulls, where Jason Kidd was ejected in the first half. Russell only likely played in that game because interim coach Frank Vogel is familiar and comfortable with him because of their time on the Los Angeles Lakers together, and there's no clear path for Russell to join Dallas' rotation going forward.
Kidd was giving Russell some time as an off-guard off the bench throughout some of December, and even though Russell did decently in that role, Kidd has removed him from the rotation completely. Kidd recently gave an update on Russell, claiming the veteran guard will be ready when his number is called at some point this season, but it was clearly more of a PR-friendly answer to say Russell is out of the rotation in lieu of young players such as Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard.
Obviously, the Bucks have a wild card in terms of what will happen with Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the trade deadline, but Russell would almost make more sense for them if they find a trade for Antetokounmpo ahead of the deadline. If Milwaukee ends up being in the business of trying to lose games and reset their franchise because of trading Antetokounmpo, Russell may be a perfect player to help them accomplish this goal while providing some entertainment in the interim.
Russell may not have the quick-footedness defensively or the decision-making on offense to be the same caliber of point guard he was a few seasons ago, but he's still a fringe NBA talent and can win some games when he gets it going from a shooting perspective.
It's hard to imagine teams will be lining up at the door to acquire Russell's services ahead of the deadline, but a potential seller like Milwaukee could be one of the few destinations willing to take on his deal in exchange for future draft capital.