Signing with Dallas
Russell (ankle) agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Mavericks on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
The Scoop: The Mavericks' most significant need for the 2025-26 season was signing a point guard who could start regularly and orchestrate the offense while Kyrie Irving (knee) recovers from a torn ACL, and Russell fits that mold. The veteran floor general appeared in 29 regular-season games (26 starts) for the Nets during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 12.9 points, 5.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 24.7 minutes per game. He should see plenty of minutes in the Mavericks' backcourt in the opening weeks of the season. However, it's unclear how much usage he'll have, since the Mavericks will likely use Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg as primary offensive initiators at times. Russell ended the 2024-25 season sidelined due to an ankle injury, but he should be completely healthy by the time training camp begins in the fall. His deal also includes a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
Jun 30 11:08 ET |
