Mavericks on brink of costly free agency disaster hours after signing Kyrie Irving

Yesterday, it was reported that Kyrie Irving planned to decline his player option to sign a three-year, $119 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks. This was expected, as Irving has repeatedly hinted he planned to return to Dallas, and he faced a gloomy free agency market as a 33-year-old with a torn ACL.

Because of his ACL tear, Irving is projected to miss the beginning of the season, leaving Brandon Williams as the only point guard on the roster to begin the season. After signing Irving, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavs were rumored to be interested in D'Angelo Russell, listing them as the "leading suitor" on Wednesday morning, just over 12 hours after the team signed Irving. Irving's extension allows the Mavs to fit Russell into the taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (TPMLE). While Russell fits the bill for what the Mavs need while Irving is out, signing Russell would be a massive mistake.

Russell, a former All-Star, would be a good fit for the Mavs while Irving is out. However, signing Russell would be a classic short-sighted mistake for Nico Harrison and the Mavs front office. The Mavericks should look to add a guard who is more talented and a better fit alongside Irving than Russell.

Signing Russell would be a waste of the Mavs' limited roster flexibility

Russell is a classic ball-dominant scoring-first combo guard, which would be ideal for the Mavericks while Irving is out. However, Irving will be back by the postseason, and the Mavs should aim for their roster moves to impact their playoff performance, not only the regular season. The Mavs have enough talent that making the playoffs should not be a major worry. Instead, they should look to optimize their playoff potential by adding players who have synergy with Irving, not redundancy.

The Mavericks have limited ammo to make roster moves this offseason, as they are in the luxury tax and have few picks to trade. Instead of wasting their precious resources on a player who largely accomplishes the same tasks as Irving and Williams, they should look to add a 3-and-D guard who can play alongside Irving. Ideally, this player would provide defensive support in the backcourt and be equally capable as a primary initiator and off-ball option.

This is no slight against Russell, as there are plenty of teams that need a player like Russell to bolster their offense. Rather, Russell does not fit what this Mavs team needs to make a championship push this year.

A better option that the Mavs have been linked to is Lonzo Ball. While Ball has injury concerns that cannot be overlooked, he fits this Mavericks team perfectly. While Irving is injured or on the bench, Ball is a proven offensive initiator who pushes fast breaks and gets his teammates involved. Alongside Irving, Ball has blossomed as a three-point shooter and would be an excellent option to pair with the traditional ball-dominant styles of Irving and Williams. Most importantly, Ball adds much-needed defense to the offensive-heavy backcourt Dallas has rostered.

While Russell makes sense as a short-term band-aid to imitate Irving's production while injured, he simply does not fit this team's current roster construction for the playoffs. The Mavericks should use their limited roster moves to add a player who complements the healthy version of this team to make a push in the twilight of Irving and Anthony Davis's star years.