Mavericks' biggest flaw only gets worse after shocking Quentin Grimes trade

The Dallas Mavericks have been all over the trade market over the last few days, as they altered NBA history forever when they traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick.

No one expected that Nico Harrison would explore trading Doncic, but Dallas' concerns with Doncic's conditioning and giving him a supermax extension combined with other factors led to the shocking deal. Doncic had become a top-two most beloved Maverick of all time alongside Dirk Nowitzki over the first seven and a half seasons of his career, and now Dallas will enter a new era of Mavericks basketball without No. 77 leading the charge.

While Mavericks fans were still mourning the departure of Doncic, the team decided to move another fan favorite on Tuesday afternoon, right after the conclusion of Doncic's introductory press conference with the Lakers.

Dallas traded Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin, and this is a move that also surprised some fans. While it seemed like Grimes could become expendable due to Dallas landing Christie in the Doncic trade, there had been no trade rumors about Dallas shopping him.

Mavericks need more ball handling and playmaking after Grimes trade

With Grimes gone, Dallas' lack of ball handling, playmaking, and shot creation took a major blow, and this hole in the roster is only getting worse with him and Doncic gone. Grimes had taken major strides in becoming a better creator and playmaker during his time in Dallas, especially lately, and he looked like someone who could be a building block of Dallas' core.

After Doncic went down with a calf strain on Christmas Day, Grimes had five games of five or more assists, and Jason Kidd's trust in him grew as the season went on. Grimes' scoring off the dribble and shot creation were two of the most underrated parts of his game during his time with the Mavericks, and him being moved to the 76ers could impact the composition of the team much more than people realize.

As of today, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jaden Hardy are the only true creators on the roster, and that is nowhere close to enough firepower for a deep playoff push. Hardy has almost entirely fallen out of the rotation and Exum is not one to create his own shot unless he is driving all the way to the rim.

This leaves a major burden on Irving and Dinwiddie's shoulders, and the Mavericks have to go acquire another shot creator before the trade deadline to give them the best shot at contending for a title now. Dallas can't rely on Dinwiddie and Irving to be the only two guards who can create their own shot (and are in the rotation), and the team's offense could end up being a major question mark if they don't prioritize it in the next move they make.

After the Doncic-Davis trade, Harrison made it clear that he is prioritizing defense, but their next move definitely should be a guard who can create for himself and others when needed. There are plenty of shot creators on the market that the Mavericks can consider, and since they have an open roster spot from the Doncic-Davis trade, it's guaranteed that another trade or signing on the buyout market will occur soon.