Mavericks' once-impossible trade suddenly looks realistic

With just weeks before the NBA's February 5 trade deadline date, conversations around what players will and won't be traded have been at an all-time high, especially with the Dallas Mavericks. One Maverick, who hasn't garnered a lot of attention on the open market in years, past due to the rocky start to his career, has been Jaden Hardy, but after injuries have plagued the Mavs, giving the fourth-year guard more playing time, Jason Kidd has found a formula to increase Hardy's trade value.

For four seasons now, Hardy has been one of the most confusing players on Dallas' roster, but after finding out Hardy can perform well off the ball, his trade value may finally be rising. Coming into the league, Hardy was always regarded as a score-first guard, and despite his slow start to his career, shooting and playing off the ball have become a patent formula for success for the former G League Ignite product.

By no means does this prove Hardy will be a top name to trade for the Mavericks or even be a player teams will be calling to acquire, but him escaping negative asset claims could be the biggest win the Mavericks have all season.

Hardy's newfound success makes him a prime candidate to be traded

After a disappointing sophomore season where Hardy was played off the floor in every facet, his career entered a state of limbo, where no fan knew what to expect from the former high-school star. While determining success is harder than just stats in the NBA, Hardy's play over the month of January may make him a tradeable player after all for the Mavericks, and it was due to one simple change on the floor.

Since being drafted in the second round, Hardy never succeeded with the ball in his hands, and after a change that features the fourth-year guard more off the ball and in a floor-spacing role, Hardy has found the most success he has felt in years. Over the last six games Hardy has suited up for, he has averaged 12 points per outing, on 35 percent shooting from behind the arc.

While these numbers won't jump off the page for any team, over the last handful of games, Hardy has continued to only get better from a shooting perspective, and after a 138-120 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Hardy poured in an impressive 12 points.

Hardy still may never be the player fans once thought he could become, but increasing his trade value as much as possible may be the only option Dallas has of getting him off their books soon. Hardy could be a solid throw-in for a team looking to take a chance on a young guard who hasn't established his footing in the league, that would also offer solid floor spacing and the off-chance of an explosive night every few games.

It's clear that Hardy's time in Dallas will soon come to a close, and he still may never garner any draft picks or solid players in return, but being a good money-matching asset in a trade for a bigger player could be the best attribute he will bring to the team.