Mavericks' Luka Doncic nightmare isn't the only trade wrecking their future

Fans of the Dallas Mavericks are starting to feel anxious in the early stages of the Cooper Flagg era. We get it. He's struggled to get going, and the Mavs fans want Luka Doncic back as if nothing ever happened. Anthony Davis is sidelined as we speak from another lower-body injury, and the Mavs aren't playing convincing basketball. The Doncic trade was one thing. Now, it's the horrific trade that happened just a few days after. The Mavs got Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes in a very questionable move that came out of nowhere, and this trade deserves some criticism as well.

If we're telling the truth, Grimes has been thriving in Philadelphia. He's been playing the best basketball of his career, and to make it worse, he was already doing that with Dallas, just not to this extent. Nico Harrison decided to make the team much older than it was before by trading Grimes, and the Martin trade has backfired in the worst way possible so far.

Since Grimes was traded, the fifth-year man out of Houston is averaging 21.3 points per game, and Martin is averaging only 4.7 points per game, with Martin clearly not playing as much as Grimes due to injuries, and plainly, lack of skill. This is complete malpractice by Harrison, and Mavs fans have to remember that it's not just the Doncic trade that has eyeballs rolling. It's the Grimes trade that ruined a lot of potential for the future.

The Caleb Martin trade is everything Mavericks fans feared it would be

Martin can't just make up for his poor shooting on the defensive end. Everyone knows that his defense is among the best on the team, but his offense is what makes him nearly unplayable. He doesn't even have the same shot as he once did back at Miami. Martin used to be a clutch go-to player late in the fourth quarter in Miami, even in the playoffs. He's nowhere near that guy anymore, and nowhere near Grimes.

Martin's shot has always looked pretty unconventional, but he's seemed to make it work in some capacity. He doesn't even take many shots anymore, with his confidence being down the drain, making for a dud that Mavs fans saw coming a mile away. Grimes is also much younger than Martin and is playing some of his best basketball. Leave it to Harrison to rip the heart out of Mavs fans once again by another failed experiment gone wrong.

You can never have too many 3-and-D players in the NBA. Grimes was the guy to pick up the slack on the defensive end while also being able to create his own shot on the other end. The Mavs haven't been too great on defense this season, and Martin isn't doing anything remotely relevant to stay on the court since the Mavs' offense is so abysmal.

The trade deadline isn't for another few months, but the Mavs should act like it's right around the corner. Harrison's project with Martin has clearly failed, and it may be time for him to pull the plug and get him off the court. There was a time when Martin was a fine two-way player. Those days are over, and it's time for Harrison to realize that.

It may not be long until the Mavs move some guys, but Martin will definitely be a name to watch come the trade deadline. Fans know it, but it doesn't matter until the front office comes to realize that they completely misjudged his value back in February.