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D’Angelo Russell signs 2-year, $13 million deal with Mavericks 
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks’ rebuild from the Luka Doncic era is starting off strong. First, they brought in NBA champion and defensive specialist, Anthony Davis, in the trade with Doncic.

Next, they get the first overall draft pick in the NBA Draft and select Cooper Flagg, who has tremendous upside. Now, Dallas signs free agent D’Angelo Russell to a deal worth $13 million over two years.

The addition of Russell is huge for the Mavericks. This gives Dallas a replacement for star Kyrie Irving, who is recovering from a torn ACL and will likely miss half of the season, at least.

As for Russell, he struggled to find his rhythm between two teams last year: the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.

After struggling to deal with the pressure of playing alongside LeBron James, Russell received a breath of fresh air returning to Brooklyn. Still, he wasn’t able to truly find his game.

For the year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 assists per game on 39.0% shooting and 31.4% from three. This is down from his career averages of 17.3 points and 5.7 assists per game on 42.7% shooting and 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc.

If Russell can return to those numbers, he’ll certainly help take the Mavericks to the next level come next season.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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