Mavericks' trade deadline steal is complicating the Cooper Flagg era

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the world when they traded Anthony Davis and three other players to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, Malaki Branham, AJ Johnson, and five draft picks, and this trade got even better for the Mavs on the day of the trade deadline. Dallas sent Branham to the Charlotte Hornets for Tyus Jones, and while this move seemed like a steal on the surface, it may not have as much promise as expected.

Not only has Jones had the worst season of his career this season, but his addition to the backcourt could limit Ryan Nembhard's development moving forward. Flipping Branham for Jones made sense considering how thin the Mavs' point guard room is right now, but it doesn't seem like the long-term fix that some fans thought it would be.

Jones has gone from being one of the best backup point guards in the NBA to an underperforming veteran, and the Mavericks need to think long and hard before giving him a new contract in free agency this summer.

Mavericks must choose Ryan Nembhard over Tyus Jones

He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and it wouldn't make much sense for the Mavs to give him a new deal along with Ryan Nembhard. Dallas has been in rumors of converting Nembhard's two-way deal to a standard contract for months now, and there's not enough room on the roster to keep two undersized guards.

Only one of Jones or Nembhard needs to be on the roster heading into the extended future, and it needs to be Nembhard.

Not only has Nembhard been better this season, but he is also seven years younger and fits Cooper Flagg's timeline much better than an aging Jones. The Mavericks are fully committed to building around Flagg when they traded Davis at the deadline, and keeping Jones rather than Nembhard would be a costly mistake as Dallas begins this new era.

They plainly needed depth to limp across the finish line due to all of their injuries this season, and if Nembhard and Jones are both active for the same game, Jason Kidd has to play Nembhard more. Development is one of the team's biggest focuses over the final 28 games of the season, and they already know who Jones is. They need to figure out if Nembhard is a long-term fit in Dallas, and they learn that more with every game he plays.

He's obviously running out of two-way eligibility since he's been active for 44 games, and Kidd has to make his final six games count. Dallas could escape this issue by creating a roster spot and signing him to a standard deal, and this is definitely a move they should explore before the season ends.

Tyus Jones' best days are behind him, and as long as he remains a veteran leader in the locker room for the rest of the season, Dallas will be in a good spot. But the second that he takes minutes away from Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams is when things may get a bit concerning.

All three players will be free agents this summer, and they should keep Nembhard and Williams over Jones.