The career of former Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell is at the crossroads after reports that the 30-year-old is set to be waived by the Memphis Grizzlies in the coming weeks.
The Grizzlies have roster decision to make with no less than 19 players under contract, with Russell one of the players most likely to be waived which would allow the 11-year veteran to re-enter free agency.
D'Angelo Russell at career crossroads after Grizzlies roster update
Russell was acquired in a trade from the Washington Wizards in July, but the former All-Star is highly unlikely to suit up for Memphis according to NBA insider Marc Stein on Thursday (via colleague Jake Fischer).
The strong belief, Fischer reports, is that D'Angelo Russell is the most likely vet to be cast aside by the Grizz, who acquired the former All-Star as part of the six-team trade in July headlined by Isaiah Stewart, Khris Middleton, John Collins and Santi Aldama," Stein wrote.
The problem for Russell is that there may be limited interest in him as a free agent, having struggled to find a consistent home since his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 29 games with the Brooklyn Nets at the end of the 2024-25 season, before lasting only 26 games with the Dallas Mavericks after signing a two-year, $11.7 million deal in free agency last year. Russell didn't play a single game in Washington, and the same is now likely to be said for what's set to be a short time at the Grizzlies.
Perhaps there's a veteran team out there in a need of a backup point guard, including the Miami Heat where he'd team up again with Klay Thompson after the pair were teammates at Golden State and more recently in Dallas.
D'Angelo Russell is latest Ex-Warriors guard the NBA has gone away from
Russell's downhill career trajectory reflects an overall move away from scoring guards who can be inefficient, and who provide very little if anything on the defensive side of the ball. That's been the issue with Russell despite his ability to put the ball in the basket. He averaged nearly 24 points in his 33 games with the Warriors at the start of the 2019-20 season, but that didn't stop the front office from trading him for Andrew Wiggins and the pick that resulted in Jonathan Kuminga.
Jordan Poole is another former Warrior guard to suffer a similar fate, having gone from key piece of Golden State's championship team in 2022, to being out of the rotation on a lowly New Orleans Pelicans team last season.
There remains a chance Russell gets an opportunity elsewhere ahead of this season, but it certainly won't be at the Warriors who recently signed another former Mavericks guard in Brandon Williams.
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