The Dallas Mavericks have had an excellent first season under new head coach Jason Kidd. The team has bought in defensively, as their performance on that end of the court is what has led to their 27-20 record thus far this NBA season.
The team has surprisingly struggled this season on offense. The regression on 3-point shooting from their top guns in Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kristaps Porzingis, Reggie Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith is a big reason why.
Despite that, this is a team that is still finding plenty of success on the court. Alas, they will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline. Dallas could look to upgrade their roster for the stretch run. While they have played well, they are still a tier below the other contending teams.
When matched up against teams in the top four of their respective conferences, the Mavericks are only 5-9. They have won four of their last five in those matchups, so improvements are being made.
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Ultimately, a trade could help push them over the top and become true contenders in the Western Conference. They have been connected to a few names recently, such as John Collins, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis.
While making an upgrade is important, Dallas may be motivated to cut some salary. Hardaway Jr. signed a four-year, $75 million deal as a free agent in 2021, but has not lived up to that deal. He has seen his efficiency numbers plummet and is now coming off the bench with Jalen Brunson stepping into the starting five.
Finding a new home for Hardaway could be the difference between the Dallas Mavericks being able to keep two core rotation players in town. Brunson and Finney-Smith are both set to become unrestricted free agents this summer.
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Keeping both, let alone one, will prove to be difficult given the current makeup of the roster. Moving Hardaway would give them a much better chance of retaining two key starters.
The team will undoubtedly shop Tim Hardaway with an eye toward re-signing Brunson and Finney-Smith. However, if they cannot find a taker for him, they could go all-in on upgrading the roster, using Brunson or Finney-Smith as an upgrade to the package.
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That way, Dallas would be getting some value for their impending free agents. Including them, in a deal to upgrade the roster for the stretch run, this season would be better than seeing them depart in free agency over the summer without receiving any compensation in return.
