With the NBA Finals officially wrapped up, teams around the league have turned their attention to the draft, free agency, and the trade market. While the Los Angeles Lakers are entirely focused on upgrading their roster for next season, their rivals are also loading up with the hopes of catching the Oklahoma City Thunder.
One Western Conference rival's idea of loading up, however, will make Lakers fans laugh. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are a "leading suitor" for former Laker D'Angelo Russell.
More on this topic: Dallas is now regarded as a leading suitor for D'Angelo Russell, sources tell @TheSteinLine.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 25, 2025
The Mavs can make a free agent run at Russell because Kyrie Irving's new deal has a lower Year 1 salary than his $43M player option.
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D'Angelo Russell May Head to the Dallas Mavericks in Free Agency
Russell is hitting free agency this summer as his two-year, $37 million deal he signed with the Lakers in 2023 expires. The point guard tried to test the market last season but ended up exercising his player option once he realized the market for his services was tepid. Midseason, he was moved to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Dorian Finney-Smith trade. In Brooklyn, he averaged 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game in 26 starts to end the season.
Now, it sounds like DLo may be following Anthony Davis to Dallas. The Mavericks are desperately looking for a stopgap option at point guard after Kyrie Irving's serious injury and hope that Russell can provide them with enough offensive juice to keep them afloat.
While Russell is a solid regular-season option, at least on the offensive side of the ball, if the Mavericks think that he can contribute in the playoffs, they are sorely mistaken. Lakers fans know all too well what relying on the polarizing point guard can result in in the playoffs. Considering his playoff blunders and defensive shortcomings, Russell is unlikely to give the Mavericks what they are looking for beyond giving them some scoring and playmaking during Irving's absence.