Mavericks caught sleeping as former fan favorite slips to rival

The Dallas Mavericks caught a slight, unfortunate break recently, as former guard and No. 9 overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft, Dennis Smith Jr., was claimed by the Miami Heat's G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce (according to NBA insider Marc Stein). Smith Jr. was once a promising high-flyer in Dallas, but injuries and a lack of development with his 3-point shot have hindered him from becoming the player he had a chance to become.

Smith Jr. started this season with Dallas, as he was a part of training camp and some of the preseason until being waived, and he's since appeared in 11 games for the G League's Wisconsin Herd before being waived.

With Dante Exum originally seeming like a viable candidate to join Dallas' rotation before training camp, it made complete sense why Dallas ultimately waived Smith Jr., but he's undoubtedly a player the Mavericks would've preferred to be with their G League affiliate instead.

Dennis Smith Jr. joins Heat organization — Mavs could've used him

As Mavericks fans know, this season has gone completely haywire due to a variety of reasons, and the Mavericks could still eventually use a player like Smith Jr. down the stretch of the season. Having him with the Texas Legends would've made calling him up an easy process, granted the Mavericks would've had to make space for him past the trade deadline, but now this is the Heat's opportunity to pounce on.

The Heat, obviously, are an old rival to the Mavericks, considering their duels in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, and now fans have to watch from the sidelines as Smith Jr. tries to resurrect his NBA career.

At this juncture in Smith Jr.’s career, his calling card is on the defensive end, as he’s built stout for a guard, and still has the athleticism and quickness to anchor down at the point of attack. Dallas doesn’t have a point guard on the roster capable of defending at Smith Jr.’s level, besides Exum (who’s out for the season), so Dallas could’ve definitely used Smith Jr. as a situational point-of-attack defender.

The Mavericks likely would've had the space to sign Smith Jr. to at least a 10-day contract following the trade deadline, but this doesn't project to be the case anymore, especially if he thrives for the Skyforce and garners interest from the Heat. Of course, this isn't the biggest deal in the world, given that Smith Jr. is already 28 years old and has been on the decline offensively for the last few seasons, but it would've been cool to see him rejoin the Mavericks organization and play for the Legends.

With only two weeks till the trade deadline, the Mavericks have a lot to unravel as far as the construction of this roster is concerned, but adding Smith Jr. would've been a fun move around the margins. Perhaps being back in Dallas and with the Legends could've spurred a great stretch of play from Smith Jr., but most Mavericks fans will root for his success anyway, as many fans have fond memories of his season-and-a-half in Dallas.