Mavericks' former nightmare hits humiliating new low after Anthony Davis trade

D'Angelo Russell's time with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season was far from memorable after being their marquee free agency signing, and things have only gotten worse after being moved to the Washington Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis trade.

Russell didn't plan on reporting to Washington after the Davis trade, as both sides were searching for the best next step for the rest of the season. He obviously did this because he wanted to get bought out to sign with a different team rather than finishing the season with the struggling Wizards, but no one wanted him on the buyout market.

According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, Russell received "no interest" from teams around the league following being traded to Washington and searching for a new home. He was originally not eager to play for the Wizards, but it looks like it's his only choice.

No one wants D'Angelo Russell

He won't be getting bought out to sign with a contender unless something changes over the next day or so, and his NBA career has taken a turn for the worse. The Mavericks signed him to be their stopgap guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear, but Jason Kidd didn't even seem to want him in that role to begin with.

Nico Harrison and Kidd clearly weren't in lockstep here, and this signing was destined to fail from the get-go.

Russell hardly played to begin the year (less than 24 minutes over his first two games with the team), and only ended up starting three games. His Mavericks journey went so downhill that Kidd moved him into a role off the ball, and after that, he just stopped playing him altogether.

Russell was a DNP-CD in 17 of his final 18 games as a Maverick, with the one exception being a game that Kidd got ejected from in Chicago and Frank Vogel decided to play him. His time in Dallas quickly turned into a disaster, and the Mavericks were lucky to get rid of him when they did.

Dallas escaped the D'Angelo Russell circus at the perfect time

They would've likely been stuck with him beyond this season, as the two-year contract he signed included a player option after this season. This player option would've proven to be disastrous if the Mavericks hadn't traded him when they did, but now, he's the Wizards' problem.

Siegel reported that Russell recently changed his number for Washington, and "unless a team comes out of left field and informs him they would add him to their playoff roster, Russell seems prepared to finish the 2025-26 season with the Wizards."

Russell went from wanting a buyout from Washington to not having a single team show interest in him, and his career is spiraling out of control. He has now been a member of five different teams over the last four seasons, and he can't find a permanent home.

Russell wanted out before even stepping foot in D.C., but he had nowhere to go.