NBA insider connects Mavericks to former All-Star and NBA award winner in free agency

In Shams Charania's report on SportsCenter about the extension, he named two guards Dallas is trying to target with that exception: D'Angelo Russell and Malcolm Brogdon.

"They need to find a point guard that they can bring in, can play as a starter while Kyrie Irving is out, and I'm told two names to keep an eye on are there, D'Angelo Russell and Malcolm Brogdon."

Brogdon was reported as an option the other day by Ian Begley. Brogdon is still a productive player when healthy, but he's just never healthy. In the last six seasons, he's played more than 60 games once, and that was an entirely bench role with the Boston Celtics. He's played in 63 games COMBINED over the last two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards. He has a good resume as a former Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, but his health should be a major concern for the Mavs.

D'Angelo Russell is more intriguing at 29 years old. Some might've assumed he'd be able to sign for more than that, and he's coming off a two-year, $37 million deal, but his role in the NBA has been yanked around over the last few years. He was an All-Star with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, but hasn't found good footing since, playing for the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in his career, and the Nets again.

Russell still averaged 12.6 PPG and 5.1 APG last season between the Lakers and Nets. The only issue with him is that he's always had an issue fitting in on good teams. The Warriors got him in a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant but turned him around and traded him (in an injury-riddled season for the Warriors) to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins a few months later. He was frustrating in both of his stints with the Lakers. And Minnesota has made back-to-back Western Conference Finals runs in the two full seasons since they traded him.

Having Russell for 60-65 games is probably still better than having Brogdon for 30, in a hypothetical, but they are two interesting names.