Mavericks' strangest problem just got worse on his new team

The Dallas Mavericks finally escaped their D'Angelo Russell dilemma by trading him to the Washington Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis trade last week, and his situation only got stranger once he was traded to the Wizards. The trade happened just over a week ago, but it doesn't look like Russell will ever put on a Washington Wizards jersey.

Washington general manager Will Dawkins stated that Russell is "not going to report as we try to figure out what’s best for him and us in our future." Russell not even reporting to the Wizards is strange, to say the least, as he needs as many reps as he can get to finish off the season after getting completely benched by Jason Kidd in Dallas.

This was the last thing that he expected when signing with the Mavericks, as he was their marquee free agency addition of the summer, but Kidd never saw eye to eye with management on what his role would look like on the team. Kidd barely played him at the beginning of the season, and as it progressed, Russell's role diminished.

D'Angelo Russell's time in Washington is over before it begins

He went from playing point guard every night to being moved off the ball as a shooting guard, to benched, and his time with Dallas couldn't have gone worse.

The Mavericks refused to play Russell at all for the final month or so of his time with the team, and showing the rest of the league that he can still be a productive role player should've been at the top of his to-do list as he begins this new chapter away from Dallas. Likely, the Wizards are just looking to buy out Russell, and that's why he won't report, but working out with his new teammates and getting some in-game action would've been productive for him.

The Wizards aren't super competitive right now, anyway, and this would've been the perfect time for him to get back in the swing of things ahead of the final stretch of the season. Game action is far different from working out by yourself, and he has nothing to lose by at least reporting to Washington and at least practicing.

The past seven months have been a roller coaster for Russell, and it looks like it's only going to continue as this season treks on. It remains unconfirmed if the Wizards are looking to buy out Russell and what the next step looks like, but not playing on your new team after being completely benched by your old team is definitely an interesting choice.

He could've drove up his value and provided a veteran presence on a young Washington team until both sides figure out how to handle his future, but they decided against that. Time will tell what Russell's fate is after his Wizards journey officially ends, but he isn't doing himself any favors by not even showing up to Washington.