A little less than a year ago, the Dallas Mavericks made what looked like a savvy free agency move, signing D’Angelo Russell to a two-year, $13 million deal. That decision quickly unraveled. By early January, Russell was out of the rotation, and by February, he was sent packing. Now, at just 30 years old and not far removed from an All-Star appearance, his NBA future is suddenly in question.<\/p>\n
D’Angelo Russell went from All-Star to journeyman<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a swift decline for the former No. 2 overall pick, who once looked like an emerging star in his fourth NBA season. That year, Russell earned his lone All-Star nod while leading an otherwise unimpressive Brooklyn Nets squad to the postseason, averaging 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game.<\/p>\n
Russell parlayed that season into a four-year, $117 million deal, but was soon traded to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade involving Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n
From there, Russell bounced from the Warriors to the Minnesota Timberwolves, then to the Los Angeles Lakers, and eventually back to the Brooklyn Nets. Yet despite all the movement, he maintained value as a smooth pick-and-roll operator and reliable bucket-getter.<\/p>\n
The Mavericks’ Russell experiment unraveled quickly<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, inefficient shot selection and poor defense ultimately pushed the 30-year-old into a reserve role \u2014 one he appeared to accept upon signing with the Mavericks. There was still some belief he could serve as a stopgap starter while Kyrie Irving recovered from a torn ACL.<\/p>\n
However, as it turned out, that plan never materialized. Russell didn\u2019t open the season as a starter and ultimately made just three starts during his stint in Dallas. There was little case for him to claim a larger role. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 assists, shooting just 40.5 percent from the field, and struggled to impact winning during his time on the floor.<\/p>\n
Jason Kidd eventually removed Russell from the Mavericks\u2019 rotation altogether, and he was later included in a subsequent trade to the Washington Wizards that further complicated his standing<\/a> in the league.<\/p>\n
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