D'Angelo Russell may have quietly played his final game for the Mavericks

D'Angelo Russell's Mavericks journey could be over before it even begins.

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks, D'Angelo Russell / Manuel Velasquez/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks still have 38 games to go in the regular season, but D'Angelo Russell may have already played his final game for the team. Russell has missed the last two games with an illness, which has been a common injury designation for him this season, and we may not see him suit up again in Dallas.

Jason Kidd has completely banished Russell from the Mavericks' rotation, even during blowouts, and his stance in Dallas has reached a point of no return. He has been a DNP-CD or inactive in 14 of the last 19 games, and Russell has only played in one game since 2026 began.

His Mavericks season has been an absolute roller coaster, as he has had some high highs, but his lows, like what he's in right now, are worse than anyone could've imagined. Not being part of the team's rotation, even when they are lottery-bound, is incomprehensible, and no Mavericks fan expected this when he signed with Dallas on the opening night of free agency.

D'Angelo Russell's time in Dallas already seems over

Russell was expected to be the team's starting point guard while Kyrie Irving was out before transitioning into a role off the bench once he returned. Dallas believed that he had the skillset to play alongside or without Irving, but we may never get to see the one-time All-Star play with him.

Irving's return is still uncertain, but even if he does come back this season, Russell will likely already be gone. The Mavericks are looking for trades for the 11th-year guard, and they'll likely push hard to trade him to get his money off their books.

Russell is on a two-year, $11.7 million deal with Dallas with a player option for around $6 million next season. With how badly this season has gone, Russell would likely pick up his player option if the Mavericks hold onto him. He isn't going to get this type of money elsewhere, and Dallas may be stuck with him if they don't find a trade soon.

Russell is one of the many veterans that the Mavericks are gauging the trade market for, as Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford could be on the move as well, but Dallas may be the most desperate to move on from Russell. Thompson and Gafford, at least, both still have positive value and are in the rotation, while Russell isn't playing at all.

His value has to be decreasing with every game that he misses or rides the bench for, and he has had a major fall from grace since the offseason. Russell went from the Mavericks' No. 1 free agency signing to a bench warmer for the No. 12 team in the Western Conference in just over six months, and we've likely already seen the last of him in a Mavs jersey.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.