D'Angelo Russell Reportedly Exercises $6M Wizards Contract Option, Updated NBA Salary Cap

It seems like D'Angelo Russell will remain with the Washington Wizards after all.

The guard reportedly exercised his $6 million player for the 2026-27 campaign Friday, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

Per Spotrac, Washington is $75.575 million over the salary cap, placing it 17th in the league. However, the Wizards are $83.339 million under the first apron and $96.339 million under the second apron.

Russell started the 2025-26 campaign with the Dallas Mavericks, but they traded him to the Wizards as part of the deal that also brought Anthony Davis to the nation's capital. Washington landed Trae Young in a separate deal with the Atlanta Hawks as it stockpiled veteran players who didn't see much, if any, action down the stretch.

While Russell was not the headliner of those moves, he was still a notable inclusion as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. Yet he did not play a single game with the Wizards during the 2025-26 campaign.

"With D'Angelo, we've talked to him, talked to his representatives," general manager Will Dawkins told reporters in February. "At the time, he's not going to report as we try to figure out what's best for him and us in our future."

It seemed like a buyout was the inevitable conclusion to the situation, but the March 1 deadline for players to be bought out and retain their eligibility for the playoffs with a different team passed without that happening.

And now Russell will remain with the team heading into next season after exercising his option.

There was a time in his career that would have been a major development. After all, he was an All-Star in 2018-19 with the Brooklyn Nets and then averaged 23.1 points per game the following season for the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

His ability to hit from three, make plays happen off the bounce and facilitate for teammates stood out, and he was always at least a dangerous secondary scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers, Nets, Warriors and Timberwolves.

However, Russell has not been that player of late.

The 30-year-old averaged 12.6 points per game while shooting 31.4 percent from three-point range during the 2024-25 campaign. Both of those were career-worst marks at the time as he split the season with the Lakers and Nets.

Yet he was even worse in 26 games for the Mavericks last season as he averaged 10.2 points a night behind 29.5 percent from deep.

Assuming he does suit up for the Wizards after exercising his player option, he will need to improve on those numbers if he is going to help lead them into the Eastern Conference postseason picture.