What the D’Angelo Russell Trade Means For the Dallas Mavericks

D’Angelo Russell is headed to the Brooklyn Nets, but what does it mean for the Dallas Mavericks?

So much for actual NBA games bringing the excitement to the NBA.

The NBA offseason is in full swing as every single day leading up to the draft seems to have its own storyline.

From the trade rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler and Paul George to the transaction that landed the top overall pick in the draft in Philadelphia, the past week has been eventful to say the least.

On Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped his latest news bomb.

This obviously sent shockwaves around the league as the Lakers gave up on the former second overall pick in favor of cap space moving forward and Lonzo Ball this coming draft.

Russell gets a fresh start in Brooklyn where he becomes the face of the franchise.

As a writer covering the Dallas Mavericks, I instantly thought about what it means for the Dallas Mavericks.

First, Dallas obviously wasn’t interested in swapping the 9th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft for D’Angelo Russell.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne reported today on Twitter that the Lakers were asking for a lottery pick in this draft but was unable to find a taker for Russell. You have to imagine that if Dallas wanted to make Russell their starting point guard moving forward that they could have made this happen to some degree.

For whatever reasons, Dallas passed on the notion.

Second, and the more important implication that the trade has on Dallas, is the effect it has on the free agent market this offseason.

Going into the summer, there were two teams with glaring holes at point guard with big time money to spend: the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Philly solved their point guard problem by trading for the top pick in the draft where they will select Markelle Fultz. Now, Brooklyn solves theirs by trading for D’Angelo Russell. You could even include the Lakers in this mix also as Lonzo Ball looks to be their pick in the draft.

This takes two big horses out of the race for free agent point guards this offseason, therefore increasing the odds for other teams in the running for a new point guard.

Enter the Dallas Mavericks.

Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday, Patty Mills, George Hill, Jeff Teague and others all have two fewer options on the open market. For teams like Dallas that could be looking to snag one of those up, these past headline trades this week increase those odds.

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We all know Dallas’ history with cap space, but the trades this week only increase the Mavs’ odds of landing a free agent point guard…if they choose that route.