Mavericks are finally free to dump ill-fitting veteran following disastrous start

D'Angelo Russell hasn't fit in well as many would've thought he would since he signed with the Dallas Mavericks over the offseason, but the team can now finally trade the 29-year-old point guard if they want to.

Because December 15 had recently arrived, it now means the Mavericks can trade Russell because of the NBA's unofficial trade window. Based on how Russell's tenure has gone in Big D, trading him is an idea the Mavericks may want to consider now that they can. He has been in some trade rumblings over the last few weeks, and now Dallas can officially act on them.

Signing Russell to a two-year contract was a pivotal move for the Mavericks, so the team had a quality point guard to play while Kyrie Irving recovers from his torn ACL. With Irving out, Russell seemingly had the experience at the point guard position that they needed to hold them over due to the steady scoring and proven pedigree as a stopgap guard. However, this season has gone poorly and much worse than anyone could've imagined.

Why the Mavericks should finally say goodbye to D'Angelo Russell

This season, Russell has averaged the lowest point total and 3-point shooting percentage of his career. For a player in the middle of his 11th NBA season, those are two disastrous statistics when he's trying to escape a narrative that he doesn't impact winning much. Russell's confidence in his shooting remains high despite significant regression over the last few seasons, and he has truly lost his touch. The Russell signing is another failed move by former general manager Nico Harrison.

It's safe to say that Russell simply wasn't the right choice for Dallas. Russell hasn't been able to fit into Jason Kidd's system at point guard as Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams have. Russell's poor play has impacted the Mavericks all season, and Kidd is playing him barely 20 minutes a game.

To be frank, Kidd may have not even wanted him to begin with. Russell coming to Dallas seems to have Harrison's hands all over it, and he and Kidd likely weren't in lockstep on this move considering how sporadic his role has been thus far.

Getting Russell's contract off of their books before February 5 would be a major benefit for the Mavericks. He has a player option for next year at just under $6 million, and with how poorly he is playing, it seems like he'll opt in. Russell isn't going to get more money anywhere else if he opts out, and the Mavericks should get out of this contract while they can.

Russell going from a consistent starter with the four previous teams he's played for to riding the bench in Dallas shows how badly things have gone, and he isn't playing like the true point guard that the Mavs need him to be. He calls his own number and hunts his own shot far too often, and this hasn't been a formula for winning at any of his previous stops.

Trading Russell would open the door for Nembhard and Williams to fully take over and grow even more until Irving is ready to play. Russell's value could be unpredictable, though, and it seems like he'll just be a throw-in in a bigger trade they make rather than a player that other teams target.

Russell in Dallas has gone far worse from what fans expected. Now, the wait to trade Russell may be over soon with December 15 passing yesterday.