The Grizzlies may not be keeping D’Angelo Russell around for long.
Memphis and the veteran guard are expected to pursue either a buyout agreement or a trade this offseason so Russell can keep his NBA career going somewhere else, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko. The fit never looked especially clean, and the reason is simple: Russell’s timeline doesn’t line up with a Grizzlies team in rebuild mode.
Russell landed in Memphis as part of the massive six-team deal earlier this month, but he was really a salary piece in the machinery. The Grizzlies came away from that trade with former Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, former Dallas guard AJ Johnson, a protected first-round pick, three second-round picks and a pick swap. Memphis also sent Santi Aldama to the Mavericks and three picks to Detroit.
Russell’s contract situation gives the Grizzlies a clear incentive to sort this out quickly. After a disappointing 2025/26 season, he was the first NBA player this offseason to pick up his option, locking in a guaranteed $5,969,250 for next season. If Memphis can’t find a trade partner, a buyout would make more sense than carrying that salary into a roster direction that doesn’t appear to include him.
The former All-Star has been a productive scorer before, topping 20 points per game in multiple seasons earlier in his career. But the shine has worn off. He has never been a strong defender, and his offense has slipped in recent years.
His most recent stops tell that story. Russell averaged 12.9 points per game with a .367/.297/.826 shooting line in the second half of the 2024/25 season with Brooklyn, then signed a two-year, $11.7MM deal with Dallas last offseason.
The Mavericks planned for him to hold down the starting point guard job until Kyrie Irving returned from a torn ACL, but that never really materialized. Russell made just three starts in 26 appearances for Dallas, finishing with 10.2 PPG and 4.0 APG on .405/.295/.717 shooting.
Anthony Davis to D.C., but the veteran guard wasn’t required to report to the Wizards and sat out the rest of the season.
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