D'Angelo Russell is realizing he made a grave mistake by coming to Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are not having the season that they expected to have, a roller coaster of disappointment and excitement all rolled into one. In the process, veteran point guard D'Angelo Russell is almost certainly regretting the grave mistake that he made this summer in signing with the Mavericks.

12.6 points. 4.8 assists. 25.5 minutes. Those were Russell's non-rookie season career lows in points, assists and minutes per game prior to this season. He has now moved the bar lower in each area, including scoring just 10.4 points per game in just 19.5 minutes. Russell has even gained a handful of DNPs thus far this season.

There is a point in the career of most players where they reach the fringes of a rotation and their role is shrunk well below their career norms. Yet what is bizarre for Russell is that he is just 29 years old; he is hardly a dinosaur. He has not suffered a significant injury. Instead, his game has not jived with the Mavericks to the point that an undrafted rookie is now starting over him.

Russell is experience the worst-case scenario

Barring one of those significant injuries, this appears to be the worst-case scenario for how this season could have gone in Dallas. He signed what appeared to be a below-market price contract with the Mavericks, taking the $5.7 million Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to fill their need at point guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL and Luka Doncic leads the Lakers to fame and glory.

Not only has Russell not played particularly well in Dallas, but the team struggled when he was at the helm in a massive way. Once he was demoted for the aforementioned Ryan Nembhard, an undrafted rookie on no one's radar to be starting by Thanksgiving, the Mavericks started to catch their stride and have righted their season to some extent.

To sum it up, Russell took less money for the chance at a larger role in Dallas. Not only has he lost that role, but it happened in such a way that 29 other teams will likely blame Russell, to some extent. Rather than being the solution, he was the problem. As Russell tries to pursue his next contract, the disastrous start to this year will loom heavy.

Part of recognizing that Russell made a mistake signing in Dallas is exploring the paths not taken, and those are not immediately obvious. Would he be off to a better start in Orlando? He wouldn't be the full-time starter, but he would have started off in a bench role instead of losing a starting gig, and the Magic have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

Staying with the Brooklyn Nets may have been an option, one that would have placed him on a worse team (to be fair, not all that worse thus far), but for a larger payday, putting him in line to be traded to a playoff team during the season. The Sacramento Kings, the Detroit Pistons, the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets may have all had interest to some level as well.

Exploring the paths not taken is a difficult proposition, but one thing is clear: it's been a disaster for Russell on the Mavericks thus far. Whether they trade him at the Trade Deadline or he is forced to play out the season for the team, things have not worked out in any way for him this season.

His grave mistake could have long-lasting consequences for his career. That is a difficult pill to swallow.