Player card
- Team/status: officially acquired in the six-team 2026 transaction; projected exit candidate.
- Position: official roster label G; likely PG/SG platform eligibility.
- Age/experience: 30 during the season; entering NBA Year 12.
- Depth role: zero-minute Memphis base; second-unit creator only if retained.
- 2025-26: 26 GP/3 starts for Dallas, 19.0 MPG; .405 FG, .717 FT, 1.3 3PM, 10.2 PTS, 2.3 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.1 BLK, 1.9 TO. ESPN stats, accessed 2026-07-18
2026-27 projection
| State | GP | MPG | FG% (FGA) | FT% (FTA) | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis base | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Retained branch | 40 | 15 | .410 (7.0) | .760 (1.8) | 1.0 | 8.0 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
Nine-category: destination-dependent assists/threes streamer with FG% and defensive-stat liabilities. Points: more valuable if a second unit gives him 20-plus minutes. Dynasty: low-liquidity veteran; do not price a Memphis role that does not exist in the base model.
Range and risks
- Strengths: assists, pull-up threes and self-created scoring.
- Liabilities: FG%, low stocks, declining minutes and turnovers.
- Floor/base/ceiling: waived without a rotation role / zero Memphis minutes / joins a guard-needy team and returns to 24 minutes, roughly 13 points and five assists.
- Branches: Memphis retaining him would squeeze Jerome/Pippen/Clayton; an exit does the reverse.
The NBA transaction report establishes his arrival, while July roster reporting lists him among the clearest departures. Neither provides a future role, so a destination-neutral rank would be false precision. NBA.com, updated 2026-07-09 · Sports Illustrated / Memphis On SI, 2026-07-09
Confidence
| Component | Label | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Roster | Low | Officially acquired but expected to be moved. |
| Minutes | Low | No base role and unknown destination. |
| Rate | Medium-high | Long record, but recent decline and only 26 games. |
| Availability | Medium | 26-game prior season and age 30. |
Sources
- Official Memphis roster — accessed 2026-07-18.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Ohio State, one season (2014-15): 19.3 PTS, 5.7 REB, 5.0 AST; consensus first-team All-American. Draft: 2015, Round 1, Pick 2, Los Angeles Lakers.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 19 | LAL | 80 | 28.2 | 13.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | .410 | .737 | 2.5 |
| 2016-17 | 20 | LAL | 63 | 28.7 | 15.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.1 | .405 | .782 | 2.8 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | BKN | 48 | 25.7 | 15.5 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.9 | .414 | .740 | 3.1 |
| 2018-19 | 22 | BKN | 81 | 30.2 | 21.1 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.9 | .434 | .780 | 3.1 |
| 2019-20 | 23 | GSW/MIN | 45 | 32.3 | 23.1 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 3.5 | .426 | .809 | 3.3 |
| 2020-21 | 24 | MIN | 42 | 28.5 | 19.0 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.9 | .431 | .765 | 2.7 |
| 2021-22 | 25 | MIN | 65 | 31.9 | 18.1 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.7 | .411 | .825 | 2.5 |
| 2022-23 | 26 | MIN/LAL | 71 | 32.5 | 17.8 | 3.0 | 6.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.7 | .469 | .829 | 2.6 |
| 2023-24 | 27 | LAL | 76 | 32.7 | 18.0 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 3.0 | .456 | .828 | 2.1 |
| 2024-25 | 28 | LAL/BKN | 58 | 25.5 | 12.6 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | .390 | .834 | 1.9 |
| 2025-26 | 29 | DAL | 26 | 19.0 | 10.2 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.3 | .405 | .717 | 1.9 |
| Career | — | — | 655 | 29.4 | 17.0 | 3.3 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.5 | .427 | .793 | 2.6 |
Split seasons: 2019-20 GSW 33 / MIN 12 (traded for Andrew Wiggins at the deadline); 2022-23 MIN 54 / LAL 17 (Westbrook three-teamer); 2024-25 LAL 29 / BKN 29. One All-Star selection (2019, Brooklyn).
Durability: Two knee operations mark the record — left-knee arthroscopy that capped 2017-18 at 48 games and another left-knee surgery in the 42-game 2020-21 season. From 2021-24 he was durable (65, 71, 76 GP). The 26-game 2025-26 in Dallas reflects a collapsed role as much as availability; he made only 3 starts.
Trajectory: The record shows a former No. 2 pick and one-time All-Star whose 18-23 point, 6-7 assist prime (2018-24) has decayed in three straight declining seasons — 12.6 then 10.2 PPG on sub-.410 shooting with vanishing steals. The pull-up three and passing survive; the burst and finishing do not. For 2026-27 he has no Memphis base role and is a leading cut/trade candidate; he becomes fantasy-relevant only if a guard-needy team hands him 20+ second-unit minutes, in which case the 2023-24 Lakers season is the proof-of-concept for an assists/threes streamer with FG% cost.
Career sources: ESPN career stats, StatMuse season averages, Basketball-Reference
Open questions
- Where does Russell play after roster consolidation?
- Does any destination trust him with a 20-plus-minute creation role?