What Does D'Angelo Russell's Latest Decision Mean for the Wizards?

The All-Star guard opted to remain a part of the Washington Wizards' equation, even if his odds to transition into an on-court factor remain slim at best.

Oct 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard D'Angelo Russell (5) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards have been much too quiet for comfort all throughout the pre-draft media cycle, with every day in which they further refuse to give their No. 1 pick preferences away only further strengthening hungry conspiracy theorists looking to guess their next move.

This intentional veil of secrecy is nothing new to the Wizards, even if the luxury of controlling the 2026 NBA Draft is. They're used to catching the league on its heels with surprise transactions, and while one recent announcement looks like very little on the surface, it could be a sign that another big move is in the works.

D'Lo's Option

If you were to poll random NBA fans across the country and ask them who D'Angelo Russell is currently rostered with, many would probably stammer before admitting that they don't know.

He's been almost completely forgotten since making the trip to Washington as collateral in the Anthony Davis trade, yet willingly signed up for another year of team control in picking up the player option attached to the contract the Wizards initially traded for this past February.

Per source: D’Angelo Russell has opted in to his 2026-27 player option with the Wizards worth $6 million.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 19, 2026

He collected close to $6 million last year between an unimpressive Dallas Mavericks stint and the Wizards move, though neither he nor his current team did much to remind the public of their joint association. Russell never reported for duty in Washington, and no further rerouting trade or buy-out ever materialized.

The former All-Star is barely hanging on to his place in the game, yet here he is, signing up to technically re-join a team that has no use for him. Why he did it isn't much of a question; he's not the scorer and playmaker he once was, and his slipping strengths only further expose weaknesses such as his invisible defense and waning athleticism. He's not promised many more NBA deals, so he's being financially-wise in taking advantage of the few chances he still has to cash out.

Nov 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard D'Angelo Russell (5) brings the ball up court against the LA Clippers during the second half in an NBA Cup game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

To casual fans just now checking in on the D'Lo storyline, this move looks like a real, albeit tertiary, loss for Washington's lauded team-building personnel. Paying a guy nearly $6 million more to watch another season's worth of games from home sounds like poor spending and roster management, but to the Wizards, he's more of an asset now than he ever was before.

Washington's Angle

Here, it's important to contextualize Russell's place in the Wizards' presently-forming plans. They've been reportedly seeking out more draft swings later in this upcoming draft's late-lottery range, so here's a financial figure to help facilitate a deal.

While other fans have waxed poetic about potentially-outgoing recent draftees or, better yet, Davis in putting together mock trade packages, Russell now shoots up to the top of the Wizards' depth chart of expendable assets. Of course, he isn't desirable enough to headline any exchange, but he can now help match swapping salaries alongside other moving picks and players, which is much more helpful than had he walked away from his remaining contract option for nothing.

Apr 24, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) speaks with forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half in game four of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Deadlines regarding players' contract option decisions really fall within the Wizards' favor this year, especially with the draft sitting mere days away.

Remember, this is a front office group who's repeatedly made shocking pre-draft swaps several times since taking charge of the franchise, having dumped Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers an hour before the 2024 NBA Draft and traded Jordan Poole for CJ McCollum a day before the 2025 event.

Even if Davis, Trae Young and a litany of scoring prospects didn't completely neutralize Russell's odds of factoring into the Wizards' nightly lineup and sharp direction, he could still prove himself valuable to Washington should he find a way to contribute to their deepened asset trove. His last grasp at guaranteed dough may very well go down as a win for all involved if Wizards' management can successfully parlay Russell's contract figure into anything else over the coming days.

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