Mavericks youngster is clinging to his final chance to stay in Dallas

Ever since the Dallas Mavericks committed to signing Dante Exum this offseason, there's been a looming question over how Dallas is going to delegate their final roster spot, as Exum coming in would give the Mavericks 16 players on standard deals. However, that question seems to be trending toward a likely answer soon, though, as NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported yesterday that Dallas is ramping up efforts to find a new home for Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

While this is unfortunate for Prosper, this likely comes as a sigh of relief for fourth-year guard Jaden Hardy. Fans have speculated that one of Hardy or Prosper would be moved in a presumptive trade to ensure Exum's standing on the roster, but there has been grey area in regard to which one of them would be dealt, or even if both of them would be traded, but it now seems like Nico Harrison and Dallas' front office are honing in on trading Prosper.

Folding on a 2023 first-round pick so quickly in Dallas' case with Prosper is an absolute loss, especially since the Mavericks will likely give him up in a mere salary dump move. For a 2022 second-round pick in Hardy, though, this will be his ultimate prove-it season in Dallas, as he's been sprinkled in trade rumors ever since the beginning of last season.

This is Jaden Hardy's last chance to prove he belongs in Dallas

It's been well documented that Hardy has struggled to improve even marginally over three seasons in Dallas, as his counting stats and efficiency have barely deviated from the mean through three seasons with the Mavericks. While stats aren't everything, Hardy's lack of ability to develop further in most areas of the game is clear through the eye test as well. However, it should be noted that he's gotten stronger and physical on the defensive end compared to when he first came into the league, even if that's still an area for him to improve upon.

With the Mavericks needing their bench guards to step up more than ever, given Kyrie Irving's torn ACL rehab next season, it seems like Hardy will have a prime opportunity to try and compete in training camp to earn a spot as a valuable fixture in the rotation. This won't come without facing great competition, though, as Brandon Williams outplayed Hardy down the stretch of last season en route to earning a standard deal ahead of Dallas' play-in games.

Dallas obviously brought in D'Angelo Russell on the Taxpayer's MLE this summer, and Russell is projected to have a bounce-back season after falling off offensively last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. Not to mention, Exum and Max Christie will still be Dallas' primary point-of-attack defenders, so they'll see decent clock as well, especially if Christie takes another leap next season.

Needles to say, minutes will be hard to come by for Hardy, especially if he can't become more dynamic as a playmaker and off-ball shooter or be more savvy as a decision-maker when it comes to choosing his spots on a consistent basis, but there's certainly an opportunity for him to ascend in Dallas' rotation given their lack of guard depth until Irving returns. However, if Hardy comes into next season not having substantially improved at any facet of his game, his time in Dallas could be trekking closer to an end despite the three-year $18 million extension Dallas inked him to before the start of last season.