The various injuries have caught up with the Dallas Mavericks, as they are now going through one of the worst stretches of the season.
Their four-game losing streak back in November, which Luka Doncic blamed due to poor rebounding, was a problem the Mavericks would like to go back to, instead of having to find an answer to trading away their generational superstar.
Brandon Williams, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dante Exum deserve plenty of credit for being some of the last men standing, as all of these guys have had great performances at some point since Kyrie Irving's injury. However, this can't be sustained as a full-time look in the near future, and the Mavericks are going to have to address a serious need since the Doncic and Quentin Grimes trades.
Mavs must address obvious need of a true playmaker in offseason
After Doncic was traded for Anthony Davis, Nico Harrison's new experiment of trading away Grimes is looking more laughable by the day, especially after Grimes scored 44 points in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He also added a 35-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks. Grimes was a true playmaker when he needed to be, who could also be a go-getter and create his own shot whenever the Mavs would need it. He also played the perfect role by being the young energy guy off the bench.
Some guys that might fit the mold, and in essence, make up for Harrison's mistake might be Caris LeVert. LeVert is a streaky scorer who can make up his own shot off the dribble. He'll also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Another guy that's been linked to the Mavs as of late is future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, which might just solve all of their problems
The only question would be which guys would be sacrificed for such a trade. It should be Harrison's priority to keep the best team possible, but there are concerns that he would break up P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, who were essential pieces to the Mavs making their first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade.
There's no disrespect to the way Williams, Dinwiddie and Exum have been playing, after all, it's been those three to make the difference in plenty of games this season. The argument is just for Dallas to have more shot-creating depth. This isn't even the fault of the guys on the court right now, this is all up to Harrison to win back at least some trust with Mavs fans and go sign another high-level guard.
Dallas must scour the free agency market for another guard, as that has clearly been their biggest hole recently. They need someone who can lead the offense while Irving is on the bench or out of the lineup, and time will tell if Harrison decides to address this need.