How Will D'Angelo Russell Fit With Wizards?

Davis, for what it’s worth, won’t be making the trip to D.C. alone. The pieces he’s bringing along with him to consolidate the Wizards’ thin remaining roster will each stake their respective claims to join him along Washington’s rebuild; chief among them, D’Angelo Russell. 

Between he and Khris Middleton, Russell is the second- or third-biggest name involved the blockbuster exchange, a former All-Star preparing for a third different team alongside Davis. The Wizards could benefit from Russell’s on-ball prowess and shooting upside, but amidst his season-long struggles on both end of the court, the extent to which he positively influences the Wizards over what’s expected to be their final tanking season will be up to him. 

Filling in for Another All-Star

Russell, who still has another cheap year remaining on his contract following the 2025-26 season, will be a much better fit with the similarly-poor defending Young sidelined. 

His sub-30% outside shooting figure further sank his value, with the infamously-streaky scorer leaking on defense even on his best days. The point guard was never known for his athleticism or outstanding physical gifts, and his inability to provide steady table-setting held him from 16 of the Mavericks’ last 17 games. 

The Wizards could use some of his on-ball confidence with Kyshawn George continuing to lack the consistency of a nightly go-to guy, and Alex Sarr surely wouldn’t say no to a theoretical entry passer, but Russell’s spent previous stops proving that his specific brand of confidence gets significantly less tenable when his perimeter jumper isn’t falling. 

And while his occasional hot streaks may be welcome to Washington over the latter days of the regular seasons, Russell will test head coach Brian Keefe’s vision of creating offense through defense. No amount of help defense or rim deterrence can cover up some of the blow-bys that D’lo allows. 

Young may not be much better than Russell on that end, but Keefe surely won’t be able to handle multiple non-stoppers at once, let alone within the same rotation. Should he manage to provide enough value through his passing and floor-spacing over the next few lean months, the faded star may earn a shot at contributing to meaningful Wizards hoops next fall.