A veteran NBA scout thinks D’Angelo Russell still has something left to give, even if his time with the Grizzlies is running short.
Per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, that scout would choose Russell over Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook if the Heat decide they need another guard in the backcourt.
“He’s still good,” the scout said, while also pointing to Russell’s defensive issues and his tendency to wear out his welcome.
For now, Russell is still on Memphis’ roster, but the expectation around the league is that he’ll be traded, bought out, or waived before the season starts.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, finally put the Moritz Wagner signing on the books after a long wait. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron reported that Wagner held off on officially signing his two-year, $19 million deal while the Nets looked for another way to use the cap room they had left.
That plan never really came together, so the Nets moved ahead with the contract. With Wagner in place, Brooklyn now has a full 15-man roster and still has some financial flexibility going into the season.
Dallas took a different kind of offseason path, and it’s getting noticed.
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Mavericks’ international-heavy approach has drawn positive reviews from rival talent evaluators. One overseas scout credited general manager Mike Schmitz for finding value across the globe.
That scout highlighted Santi Aldama, Sergio de Larrea, Tarik Biberovic and Zaccharie Risacher as part of the haul, and also said late addition Vsevolod Ishchenko could turn into another bargain down the line.
In Other News...
Nets Linked To Risky Star Move That Could Change Everything
Brooklyns long view has been pretty clear: keep developing the roster, protect future flexibility and stay positioned for a real run at the 2027 postseason. That makes any big-swing idea worth a second look, especially when it comes wrapped in the kind of speculative trade framework that can reshape a teams timeline in one move.
One proposed three-team deal would send Brooklyn into the conversation with New Orleans and Los Angeles, with the Nets giving up future first-round picks and other assets to change their ceiling. It is the kind of risk-reward scenario that fits the current debate around the franchise, because the upside is obvious enough to spark interest while the injury history and uncertainty around the centerpiece make it impossible to treat as anything close to a sure thing. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Just Got A Verdict Fans May Hate
Since trading Kevin Durant in 2023, the Nets have made their rebuilding plan pretty clear: stockpile draft capital, keep the books clean and bet on young talent eventually turning into something real. Brooklyn has given itself a wide runway to do that, with a promising group that includes Egor Dmin, Nolan Traor, Mikel Brown Jr. and Danny Wolf, plus the kind of future flexibility that can change a roster quickly if the right players emerge.
The catch is the same one that shadows most rebuilds. For all the picks and all the financial breathing room, the whole thing still comes down to whether this young core can become consistent NBA contributors, not just interesting prospects. Dmin looks like the safest piece of the bunch, but the bigger question hanging over Brooklyn is whether the rest of the group can grow fast enough to justify the patience this approach demands. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Officially Add Mo Wagner As Center Questions Keep Growing
Brooklyn has officially added Mo Wagner on a multi-year deal, giving the roster another experienced option in the middle after the Nic Claxton trade left a clear opening at center. The former Magic big man arrives with a chance to stabilize a spot that suddenly became one of the teams most important questions, and the Nets are banking on his size, energy and familiarity with NBA frontcourt work to help steady the rotation.
Wagner is expected to sit behind Day'Ron Sharpe next season, with Danny Wolf also part of the mix as Brooklyn sorts out how it wants to handle the position going forward. The signing gives the Nets a little more structure, but it also underscores how much remains unsettled in the frontcourt, especially with the team still figuring out exactly how the center minutes will be distributed. [Read more 🡒]