Mavericks are suddenly cornered by two unmovable veterans

Over two months into the regular season, the standout players and the rotation outcasts are clear in Dallas. Barring any injuries or major trades before now and the NBA's trade deadline, two of the Dallas Mavericks are already standing out as players the team will definitely struggle to trade away: Caleb Martin and D'Angelo Russell.

In the case of Martin, the Mavericks not only traded away Quentin Grimes to bring him in, who has been outstanding in his limited time with the Philadelphia 76ers, but they also traded a valuable early second-round draft pick, and Martin has done little to prove his worth on the court. On the other hand, the Mavericks acquired Russell in the hopes that he could serve as the team's stopgap point guard while Kyrie Irving was out, but that has completely backfired in the face of any fan who thought that experiment would work.

For both players, it has been undeniably clear that their playing days with the Mavericks have become limited, and while getting rid of these dead contracts would be the ideal outcome for Dallas' front office, the likelihood of a team wanting either of these two players is little to none. This unfortunately means the Mavericks may be stuck with Russell and Martin for the foreseeable future, no matter how painful their time on the floor may be to watch.

Martin and Russell have boxed the Mavericks in

Having dead salaries is never ideal for any NBA franchise, but for the Mavericks, this is what they have with Martin and Russell. Not only was the writing on the wall for both players to struggle in their time with the Mavericks, but what makes matters worse is that younger players have thrived in the role that both Martin and Russell were supposed to carry for the Mavericks this season.

Both Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams outshone and essentially replaced Russell in Dallas' rotation, and Russell's inconsistencies have made him unplayable even when he has been needed. For Martin, it's already clear that his time in the league as a valuable rotational defensive guard is coming to a close due to his offensive holdbacks and injuries that have kept him off the hardwood.

It might not be ideal for fans, but trading any of these two players is going to be virtually impossible unless the Mavericks feel as though attaching draft capital is worth getting off dead money for Cooper Flagg's future. They could also include them in a bigger trade with one of their veterans, but no team is going to want to take on their contracts.

If the Mavericks traded away Anthony Davis, it would be a clear message to the league that the Mavs are looking to the future with Flagg at the helm, but acquiring free agent assets is probably the only way the team is going to be able to stay competitive in the next few years and with Martin and Russell on the books, that is going to be extremely hard. Dallas' draft picks are limited, and they have to free up some money soon.

The Mavericks have plenty of decisions to make in the coming months, with the trade deadline quickly approaching, and getting rid of Martin and Russell will unfortunately be a challenge.