Mavericks' smartest trade deadline move would split fans instantly

The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of options ahead of them in the next nine days before the trade deadline, but one player that could undoubtedly yield some intriguing assets in a trade is none other than Naji Marshall. However, while trading Marshall may net some valuable assets such as a budding young player or draft capital, many Mavericks fans would be crushed if he were dealt ahead of the February 5 deadline.

Marshall has become a culture-builder in Dallas and has kept this team afloat amidst one of the toughest stretches in franchise history. His in-between game is lethal, and he's played the best basketball of his career on both ends of the floor since being a Maverick, especially since he's been given the opportunity to assume a bigger role.

With Marshall being on a team-friendly contract with an annual salary of $9 million, he's a player who could really bolster a return package if aggregated with someone like Anthony Davis or Daniel Gafford in a deal, but Dallas should be careful about trading Marshall by himself.

Marshall would net a great return, but his departure would crush fans

If the Mavericks get an irrefutable return package for Davis, and Marshall is the final kicker the other team requests, then that may be a fair reason to part ways with him.

However, there aren't a lot of players in the league making Marshall's salary that would serve as fair one-of-one replacements, even with draft capital attached. He's averaging a career high 14.7 points on 54.5 shooting from the field, despite only shooting 30.6 percent from outside, so he's the type of Swiss Army knife from an offensive perspective that any contender would covet ahead of the playoffs.

There's also something to be said about the Mavericks doing right by players that have become fan-favorites like Marshall, as it would be crushing for fans to have to see him and Luka Doncic go in less than a year.

This isn't to say Marshall is untouchable, but the Mavericks need to re-establish themselves as an organization that treats their good players well and keeps them around on longer-term deals, as this image was fractured following the Doncic trade.

If a team offers two first-round picks for Marshall and a filler salary, or he's the final piece to a massive return package for someone like Davis, it'll be understandable to trade him ahead of the deadline, but the Mavericks can't settle for a measly return package for a fan-favorite like Marshall.

He's a player whose value has catapulted immensely this season, so shipping him out can't be off the table, considering the Mavericks likely won't be competitive this season, but Dallas has a lot of things to weigh when thinking about trading him or not. Having just turned 28 years old, Marshall is still the type of elite role player Dallas could keep around for the dawn of the Flagg era, especially given the chance to be competitive next season with a potential fully healthy Kyrie Irving.