The Grizzlies have waived veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Memphis has a roster crunch to deal with this fall, having carried 19 players on standard contracts into the day on Friday. Russell always seemed likely to be one of the odd men out, and cutting him now will give him an opportunity to clear waivers before most teams begin training camp next week. He’s hoping to land with a playoff contender, sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
A former second overall pick who made the All-Star team in 2019, Russell has seen his playing time and his production fall off precipitously in recent years.
The 30-year-old signed a two-year, $11.7MM contract with Dallas ahead of the 2025/26 season and was expected to fill in for Kyrie Irving as the team’s starting point guard. However, he came off the bench to open the season and then dropped out of the rotation altogether.
Russell ultimately appeared in just 26 games for the Mavericks, making three starts and averaging a career-low 10.2 points per game on .405/.295/.717 shooting. It represented the second straight year in which he has posted shooting numbers well below his career rates. In 2024/25, he made just 39.0% of his field goal attempts and 31.4% of his three-point tries in 58 outings for the Lakers and Nets.
The Mavericks traded Russell to the Wizards at the 2026 trade deadline in the Anthony Davis blockbuster, but he wasn’t required to report to his new team during the second half of the season. After he exercised his player option in June, D-Lo was dealt to Memphis in July as part of the six-team trade that involved Isaiah Stewart, Santi Aldama, John Collins, and Khris Middleton, among others.
The Grizzlies will remain on the hook for Russell’s expiring $5.97MM salary, which was fully guaranteed. They’ll have a few more moves to make before opening night in order to set their 15-man roster for the regular season, as they’re still carrying 17 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jaylen Wells on a partially guaranteed deal.
