Fresh off his Memphis release, the veteran playmaker offers Portland low-risk backcourt depth and elite shot-creation to fortify a roster suddenly aiming for a Western Conference playoff run.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived D'Angelo Russell on Friday, sending the veteran guard into free agency less than a week before training camp starts across the league.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported the move, which had been expected throughout the offseason as Memphis continued to sort through its roster following the departure of Ja Morant.
Now the question becomes: where does Russell land?
The Portland Trail Blazers should be in that conversation.
The fit starts with opportunity. Memphis entered Friday with 19 players on standard contracts, so something had to give.
Russell always seemed like the roster candidate most likely to get squeezed out before the season tipped off. That's not necessarily a reflection of what he can still offer a roster with actual guard minutes to spare.
Portland, fresh off the acquisition of Morant, has a very different backcourt situation than Memphis.
Russell still brings real bona fides to whatever locker room he walks into.
Over 11 seasons across five organizations, he's averaged 17.0 points, 5.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds and made his lone All-Star team in 2019 with Brooklyn.
He's a career shot-creator who can also knock down catch-and-shoot threes while playing as a true point guard. Those traits matter on nights when Portland's primary engines need a rest.
The timing lines up, too. Russell is expected to clear waivers before most teams begin training camp next week, meaning any interested team could scoop him up and have him in the facility immediately.
The Blazers have a major caveat.
Russell is coming off his least productive season of his career, and after two straight years of declining production and poor shooting, he may have to accept a limited role to join the type of contender he reportedly wants.
That's the actual case for the Blazers.
Portland doesn't need Russell to be a 20-point-a-night guy. They need a low-cost, low-risk veteran who can initiate offense in spurts, space the floor and give Micah Nori another ball-handling option off the bench behind Morant and Lillard. With Scoot Henderson a leading candidate for a potential trade, Russell can be the guy to eat those minutes.
Russell hopes to land with a playoff contender, and with Deni Avdija emerging as an All-Star and Morant now in the mix, Portland can credibly sell itself as exactly that. For a team looking to add depth on a minimum deal with almost no long-term risk, D'Angelo Russell is the kind of low-commitment swing that could quietly be a necessity.
