Mavericks youngster's rise could force a heartbreaking trade in the blink of an eye

One of the Dallas Mavericks' biggest holes heading into this offseason was the lack of guard depth throughout the roster after Kyrie Irving tore his ACL back in March. In combating a catastrophic injury to Irving, the Mavericks relied on some notable reserve guards such as Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy, and Brandon Williams last season.

While the Mavericks may not have even made the playoffs, it was already clear to see that Williams was emerging out of the pack as one of Dallas' go-to guards as the regular season came to a close and games became increasingly more important with the team attempting to make the playoffs. Not only was Williams emerging as a reliable guard with the ball in his hands, but he continued to get better every game.

Heading into the summer, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks combated their lack of ball handlers on the roster by signing D'Angelo Russell, but all signs are pointing to Williams having an increased role off the bench, which would leave Hardy being the odd man out.

Brandon Williams' rise could leave no room for Jaden Hardy

With rumors circulating that the Mavericks may be re-signing Dante Exum to help bolster the team's guard depth as well as adding a primary point-of-attack defender, it's clear the Mavericks will need to make a consolidation trade to clear up a roster spot, as they are over the limit of standard contracts on their roster.

With this in mind, fans have already been quick to label Olivier-Maxence Prosper as the player who needs to be traded away; however, if Williams is the player the Mavericks believe he can be, it may mean Hardy is the player to be sent out in a trade instead of Prosper.

While the Mavericks do need depth at the guard position, the team has already signaled that Hardy is not a piece they want to have long-term, as he has continuously fallen out of favor in Jason Kidd's rotation. By the end of last season, Williams was not only one of the Mavericks' main guards off the bench, but the team sometimes refused to play Hardy even when injuries began to pile up among big-name players.

In just the last 10 games of the regular season, Williams averaged an impressive 13 points per outing on 66.7 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line. While Williams would go on to miss five of those 10 games as his contract transitioned from a two-way to a standard, the Mavs heavily relied on Williams for a scoring punch off the bench.

Now, as the Mavericks transition into a new season, Williams won't just be looked at as a two-way guard who played better than what was expected. Williams will now have expectations, and if he exceeds what doubters think is possible, it may mean the end of Hardy's time in Dallas.

Hardy is entering the first year of his three-year rookie contract extension, which comes out to $6 million annually. This is not only a more favorable contract to trade over Prosper's rookie contract, but there is also reason to believe that Hardy may have more trade value than Prosper. Hardy hasn't only proven more as a pro, but teams are much more inclined to take a guard who can offer tertiary scoring over a forward who has struggled to find his footing in the league.

While the Mavericks still have some time before they need to make a trade this summer, the clock is ticking, and eventually, Harrison will need to dial the phones. Williams has already proven he can be trusted with the ball in his hands, and it may be time to give him a full workload in Dallas' rotation.