Mavericks continue to lose Quentin Grimes trade as once-hyped wing's absence grows

The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers has looked like a disaster since the moment it happened, as Grimes has dominated for Philly and Caleb Martin has struggled to stay on the court in Dallas. Martin's latest injury, which is listed as a right plantar fascia strain, has caused him to miss the last 13 games, and at this rate, he'll likely miss their final game on Sunday as well.

Caleb Martin's injury history is becoming impossible to ignore

When Dallas first traded for Martin, he was marketed as someone who would immediately become the team's best point-of-attack defender. Nico Harrison believed that Martin would be the team's defensive stopper during a hopeful playoff run, but they never even made it that far.

On top of that, Martin only played 14 games after being traded to the Mavericks due to various injuries. He was injured when Dallas traded for him, so much so that the Sixers threw in a second-round pick to sweeten the deal after it was agreed upon, and his health has been his biggest weakness over the last year.

He has only appeared in 72 of the team's possible 113 games since he was acquired, and while this does include some DNP-CDs, it shows how much trouble his injuries have caused him. Martin didn't make his Mavericks debut until over a month after he was acquired, and his career going this downhill is not what Dallas expected when they traded Grimes for him.

They obviously believed that they were getting the better player in the deal, given the fact that they sent Philadelphia their own 2025 second-round pick back, but this hasn't been further from the truth.

Grimes is averaging 15.7 points per game as a 76er while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. His two-way versatility, secondary playmaking, and shot creation have all been crucial for Philadelphia, and he has become everything that Mavericks fans knew he would.

Martin showed flashes this season before injuries halted his momentum

Martin has shown some promising flashes as well, despite popular belief. Most of his Mavericks career has been filled with unfulfilling performances and disappointment, but he at least proved he could be a rotation player in Dallas earlier this season.

He shot 53 percent from three over a 17-game span, and his defense has always been strong.

Unfortunately, injuries have taken away all of the positive momentum he had. Availability is the best ability, and this has been Martin's kryptonite since Dallas acquired him.

Martin's season, going from a 3-point shooting revival and refound confidence to another lengthy absence, is the last thing that the Mavericks needed. As long as Grimes continues to dominate while Martin remains on the sidelines, fans aren't going to hear the end of this move.