From 2020 to 2023, D'Angelo Russell was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. After being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal that netted the Wolves Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Russell has bounced around. He was traded last season to the Brooklyn Nets and then later signed with the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason.
Russell is in the midst of a career-worst season, averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 40.3/28.7/70.7 shooting splits. The Ohio State product started for three games before losing this role to undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard, who performed wonderfully. Russell has even earned two DNPs.
As a result, it's not much of a surprise that the Mavericks are open to exploring a Russell trade. However, that's exactly what ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday morning.
The Mavericks are open to exploring the trade markets for Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/MQiEGrpAAb
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 9, 2025
The Mavericks want to trade Russell, but where could he go?
Again, I don't think it would be much of a shock if Russell is indeed traded ahead of February's deadline. It's worth wondering, though, who would be interested in Russell, and what his value is?
The elephant in the room is that the Timberwolves need a point guard, and they could look to buy low on Russell. Despite the Wolves' need for a point guard, I don't think this would be a good idea. Russell, in theory, could provide some blend of shot creation and playmaking. However, he lacks the shot creation and burst he once had. Notably, Russell is shooting a career low 1.0 attempts at the rim.
I already mentioned Russell's poor shooting splits. But let's take this a step further, Russell's 47.3 effective field goal percentage ranks 384th among players who have played in at least 10 games and play at least 15 minutes per game.
Russell's $5.6 million salary isn't a big number, but for the Timberwolves, it would likely mean parting ways with some of their young talent, which is not ideal.
Now, who in the world would be interested in Russell with how he's playing? With all due respect, I don't know. Russell has had a great career, but at this point, his trade value is limited.
Shams also noted that the Mavericks are open to exploring the trade markets for Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Klay Thompson. Reading between the lines, it's fair to think that Russell could be packaged with one of the other Mavericks players. Frankly, I'm not sure if there's a market for Russell unless other players or picks are part of the deal.