P.J. Washington's brutal injury reveals pressing trade Mavericks must make now

After a season-defining stretch during December that saw the Dallas Mavericks crack open the door toward a top two or three seed in the Western Conference, Dallas' injuries have kept them stuck in the mud to start the New Year, as superstar Luka Doncic will remain out over this next month due to a nagging left calf strain.

Doncic's injury is currently Dallas' primary concern, as their offense has suffered tremendously without his shot creation and playmaking abilities in their lineup, though the Mavericks will have to find a way to navigate the month of January without Doncic's help. After losing three straight contests, Dallas is finally going to get some help back in the form of offensive creation. Naji Marshall is set to return from his four-game suspension that was prompted by an altercation with Jusuf Nurkic when the Mavericks take on the Memphis Grizzlies this coming Monday.

However, Marshall will still miss Friday night's contest against the Eastern Conference's first-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers due to the suspension, and Dallas will also likely be without P.J. Washington's services as well. After coming back from a one-game suspension due to the same altercation Marshall was in, Washington had a dynamic two-way performance against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, scoring 28 points on 8-20 shooting from the field while showcasing his aggressiveness on drives and at the point-of-attack on defense.

In Dallas' Wednesday night loss to the Houston Rockets though, Washington suffered a right knee sprain after 16 minutes of action, and Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was unable to report a status on Washington's knee after the game. While the severity of Washington's injury is unknown, he's proven to be one of the most important pieces on both sides of the ball for this Mavericks team, and his injury undoubtedly increases Dallas' need for another wing or power forward.

Mavs must trade for a backup power forward or wing as soon as possible

Many fans and media members have long been calling for increased depth from the wing position or power forward slot on Dallas' roster, as Washington has been highly effective for the Mavericks in this position this year, but Maxi Kleber's game on both sides of the ball has steadily declined and Olivier-Maxence Prosper hasn't proved himself to be ready for a consistent role.

The Mavericks need to bring in a bigger-bodied wing who can guard up and also bring some different dimensions to their offense, though the more dynamic of an offensive talent they look for at this position, the likely heftier the cost will be in a potential trade. Younger veterans like Obi Toppin or Herbert Jones would be starting-caliber players at this position that Dallas could bring in to accentuate their rotation to its peak, though they may come at a decent price tag and the Mavericks have extremely limited assets at the moment.

As well as Washington has played on both sides of the ball, the Mavericks could be very negatively affected throughout this stretch if he misses a significant period of time, especially with Doncic already missing over a month. Adding another wing or power forward has been Dallas' biggest need for months now, and it's only grown bigger with the adversity they've dealt with in their lineup recently.

Whether it's a starting-caliber player or a backup power forward, the Mavericks can't afford to wait much longer on making this trade given Washington's injury, even though they may need to pull some strings to acquire the necessary assets to make this trade in the first place.