A bet on fit over money brought veteran guard D’Angelo Russell to the Dallas Mavericks as Kyrie Irving recovers from knee surgery.

The Dallas Mavericks began training camp this week with a new voice in the gym, and it belonged to D’Angelo Russell. Before his 11th NBA season, he signed with Dallas this summer after weighing multiple free-agent options.

For Russell, the decision wasn’t about chasing the largest payday. It was about finding the right situation, especially with Kyrie Irving sidelined until later this season as he rehabs from ACL surgery.

“The NBA is a wild west,” Russell said. “You never know where you’re going to be, so to get the opportunity to be here, I know how good the organization is from top to bottom. For me I just wanted to go somewhere where there’s some structure. It’s all about now and who we’ve got here now.”

Last season Russell averaged 12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 58 games with the Lakers and Nets, shooting 39.0% from the floor, 31.4% from 3-point range and 83.4% from the free-throw line. His 2019 All-Star nod with Brooklyn still stands as a reminder of his ceiling, though his recent numbers suggest a veteran guard looking for a fresh start.

“When you look at this team and the makings of it, I feel like I can just plug in and be well guided to help this team out,” Russell said. “I want to impact winning. It takes more than just myself, so I just try to be a piece to make that happen.”

Anthony Davis, who played with Russell in Los Angeles, said the Mavericks will benefit from his former teammate’s presence.

“We had a conversation when we were thinking about getting him and signing him, and he came to me and told me that he’s ready,” Davis said. “He had other opportunities, maybe for more money. But he wanted to come here and wanted to bet on himself.”

For Davis, the reunion is less about the past and more about what Dallas can expect going forward.

“He’s an elite scorer in this league,” Davis said. “We’re getting a motivated DLo. We’re getting a guy who’s ready to leave it on the floor each and every night. And don’t worry, if he doesn’t, I’ll be on him. But he’s ready.”

Russell has already drawn positive reviews from Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who said the veteran guard wasted no time asserting himself during the opening sessions at Simon Fraser University.

“From day one he was great,” Kidd said. “Being new, sometimes you can be hesitant to talk. But I thought his voice with his new teammates was at a high level, and we need that. He’s a vet. His skill set is extremely high.”

Kidd said Dallas needs Russell’s blend of scoring and playmaking to complement Davis and Klay Thompson until Irving is available again.

“He can score, he can pass it, so it’s something that we need,” Kidd said. “The first day he shot the lights out and put a lot of pressure on the defense.”

For Russell, now with his fifth NBA organization and seventh individual stint with a team since being drafted second overall in 2015, the move to Dallas offers a chance to settle in and prove that his game still belongs in the spotlight.

“I consider myself a basketball player, not a point guard,” Russell said. “Any time I can get out there and just be a basketball player – that may be passing, that may be scoring, just making high-level basketball plays – I think that’s contagious.”