The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off free agency on the wrong foot. On Monday, it was reported that top Lakers free agent Dorian Finney-Smith signed with the Houston Rockets on a four-year deal. The team bounced back by signing Jake LaRavia, but how the team will build around Luka Doncic and LeBron James ahead of the crucial 2025-26 season remains to be seen.
While Lakers fans are waiting to see how GM Rob Pelinka does on the market, former Lakers players are signing new free agent deals. After only an hour had passed since the start of free agency, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that former Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell was signing with the Dallas Mavericks.
Free agent guard D’Angelo Russell has reached an agreement with the Dallas Mavericks on a two-year, $13 million deal, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/LGX109k7KA
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2025
D'Angelo Russell Signs With the Dallas Mavericks in Free Agency
Russell's reported deal will be for two years, $13 million in Dallas. After getting traded to the Nets in December as part of the Dorian Finney-Smith deal, Russell spent the second half of the season in Brooklyn, starting in 26 games and averaging over 24 minutes per game. He struggled from the field as a Net, finishing with 36.7/29.7/82.6 shooting splits.
Fortunately for him, he will be back playing relevant basketball on a playoff team. Kyrie Irving will be out for the majority of the season in Dallas, so Russell will have a large role on the Mavericks as a lead offensive initiator and shot creator until Irving is back.
This will also be a reunion with Anthony Davis for Russell. The Mavericks will hope that their pick-and-roll chemistry will be helpful as the team tries to navigate Irving's absence and the integration of star rookie Cooper Flagg.
Even though this is a team-friendly deal for the veteran point guard, Lakers fans know all too well the ceiling Russell puts on your team, especially in the postseason. While the Western Conference will be extremely challenging next season, the Mavericks are not one of the teams the Lakers should worry about too much.