Nico Harrison's unseen blunder intensifies following Kyrie Irving's brutal injury

The Dallas Mavericks have been under more fire than any NBA team in recent memory as of late, as Nico Harrison decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month out of nowhere, and everything that could have possibly gone wrong since then has.

From Anthony Davis getting injured in his Mavericks debut to Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL on Monday night to one of the assistant coaches getting arrested, Dallas has been through one of the toughest stretches in team history in just one month.

Irving's brutal injury was the final nail in the coffin when it comes to optimism about the team getting healthy this season and making a deep playoff run, as there is no reason to bring back Davis, Dereck Lively II, or Daniel Gafford. They don't have the depth to make a run to the NBA Finals, and all hope is gone.

Harrison's trade for Martin has had major consequences already

Irving was the team's sole hope to stay above water until the bigs returned, and his injury has magnified one of Nico Harrison's blunders from the trade deadline that has seriously crippled the Mavericks for the rest of the season. While Harrison's decision to trade Doncic was his biggest mistake from the trade deadline, another move has flown heavily under the radar that must be discussed.

Harrison's decision to trade Quentin Grimes for Caleb Martin was a questionable move to begin with considering how the Mavericks needed more shot creation after trading Doncic, but the financial implications that came along with this deal were incredibly risky, and this risk has not paid off for Dallas.

On top of Martin not playing a game yet, the Mavericks can't sign another player to fill their final roster spot until April 10 due to them being hard capped as they took back much more money than they sent out, and this prevents them from being able to sign another guard to help make up for what they lost with Irving going down.

This move by Harrison also cost the Mavericks their chance at re-signing Moses Brown after he had a dominant stint with the team on a 10-day deal, and him leaving no room for midseason flexibility was a blatant mistake that he can't take back. Considering how bad Dallas' injury luck was all season before the trade deadline, he shouldn't have made a move that restricts them from signing a 15th player, and they should be regretting it now as they slide down the standings.

His clear trade deadline mistakes have piled on top of each other, and the Mavericks couldn't be in a worse position. They're not set up for the future or right now, and all of this could have been prevented by not trading Doncic at the trade deadline. With Doncic on the floor, Dallas has a chance to beat any team at any moment, but that can't always be said about Irving or Davis.

The consequences of trading Grimes for Martin will continue to be revealed as they'll be stuck with the roster they have for over a month, and time will tell what kind of impact Martin makes. It sounds like his return is approaching, and him stringing together some solid performances to close the year could give fans some much-needed positivity heading into the offseason.