Mavericks blow golden opportunity to dump controversial veteran in Lonzo Ball trade

Before last year's free agency began, the Dallas Mavericks traded away Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons to receive Quentin Grimes. After leaving Detroit, Grimes was destined for a fresh start in Big D and would bet on himself by not signing a contract extension before the regular season began. However, Grimes' tenure in Dallas saw some downs as well.

Not too long after the Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Grimes was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin. After averaging over 10 points per game in Dallas, Grimes averaged over 21 points per game with the 76ers. Seeing Grimes have solid success in 28 games as a Sixer was another gut punch to the Mavericks' 2024-25 season, as they lost a player who was destined to blossom into a young star.

This summer, Lonzo Ball was in rumors of being traded away, and the Mavs showed interest in him. Yesterday, the Chicago Bulls traded Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Ball trade was a golden opportunity for the Mavericks to trade away Martin, who fans grew frustrated with after the Grimes trade, but they didn't make a move for him.

Martin-for-Ball trade made too much sense for Mavericks to ignore

When the Mavericks traded away Grimes to the 76ers, they received 29-year-old wing Caleb Martin in the trade. With how brutal Martin's season in Dallas was after the trade, it would've been the golden opportunity for the Mavericks to trade Martin away to get Ball from Chicago, as they have similar salaries and could have been traded straight up for each other.

Martin's 2024-25 season in Dallas was a severe struggle. In 14 games, Martin averaged 5.4 points per game. Martin's field goal percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game, and field goal attempts were all down from Philadelphia to Dallas. Despite being a near 36 percent 3-point shooter in his NBA career, Martin shot 25 percent from three as a Maverick and did not look confident when shooting his jumper.

The Mavericks had the golden chance to dump Martin and get rid of his struggling play to get Ball. Trading away Martin to get Ball would've gotten a liability off the Mavericks' roster ahead of next season.

Mavericks fans seem split on Martin this offseason, as one side of the fan base believes that he will bounce back next season once he gets healthy, while the other side has no confidence in him. He has quietly become a controversial player among Mavs fans due to their disagreements on his ultimate effect on winning, combined with his fit in the rotation, and Ball would have been a major upgrade in both of those areas.

Despite missing two consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2024, Ball still has a presence that any playoff team should want. At point guard, Ball has been a solid defender in his career and is an excellent distributor as well.

In the 2024-25 season with the Bulls in 35 games, Ball averaged more points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks than Martin did as a Maverick. Another reason for the Mavericks to have traded for Ball is because of Kyrie Irving.

With Irving going to be recovering from an ACL tear for multiple months to begin the season, the Mavericks need a point guard who can start in the lineup. That is where Ball would've been a fit for Irving, unlike Martin, who plays on the wing and can't be trusted as a lead ball handler.

Martin ultimately looked unplayable at times, and Dallas showed their trust in him by holding onto him despite his struggles last season. Mavericks fans will be hoping that his strong defense at the end of the season can help lead to some confidence on the other end, and fans will always wonder if they could have gotten off of his contract by trading for Ball.