Analyzing the Memphis Grizzlies' Decision to Waive D'Angelo Russell

On September 25, 2026, the Memphis Grizzlies officially waived guard D'Angelo Russell. While late-offseason roster changes frequently invite broad speculation regarding front-office strategy, evaluating this transaction requires grounding narrative claims in verified data. The roster move stands as a reported fact, but determining what it means for the franchise requires analyzing the team's available performance figures.

The Reported Transaction

Official league transaction records show that on September 25, 2026, the Memphis Grizzlies executed a waiver move to release guard D'Angelo Russell.

To explicitly separate fact from analysis: the status update itself is a confirmed transaction record. What this move implies for team direction, contract obligations, salary cap flexibility, or potential replacements is purely analytical context that cannot be asserted as fact, as no financial details, cap metrics, trade returns, or front-office statements are present in the official data.

Recent Form and On-Court Numbers

Contextualizing the team environment surrounding this decision requires examining the Grizzlies' most recent 10-game stretch from March 27, 2026, to April 12, 2026. Over those ten games, Memphis recorded just one win alongside nine losses.

Metric	10-Game Average
Record (Wins)	1
Points Scored	111.6
Points Allowed	132.0
Offensive Rating	109.7
Defensive Rating	129.4
Effective Field Goal %	0.530
Three-Point %	0.346
Turnovers	14.8

The numbers reveal a glaring differential between scoring and defense. Across the 10-game sample, the Grizzlies scored an average of 111.6 points per game while allowing 132.0 points per game. Their offensive rating sat at 109.7, contrasted against a defensive rating of 129.4. Offensively, Memphis posted an effective field goal percentage of 0.530, hit 34.6 percent of their three-point attempts (0.346), and averaged 14.8 turnovers per game.

Analytical Perspective

From an analytical standpoint, the data highlights a roster that struggled severely on defense during its final sample of games, surrendering over 130 points per contest and yielding a defensive rating near 130. A 1-9 stretch with a minus-20.4 average point differential reflects team-wide structural difficulties.

However, the provided dataset does not include individual statistics, tracking figures, or lineup split data for D'Angelo Russell during that 10-game period or across the broader season. As a result, attributing those defensive metrics or turnover rates specifically to his presence—or assuming his departure will automatically alter those trends—goes beyond what the data proves. The verified numbers show a team coming off a difficult 1-9 stretch with major defensive gaps; how this roster move impacts those underlying metrics remains an open question until new game data is logged.

Sources

• NBA Player Movement record