4 reasons why the Dallas Mavericks must trade Tim Hardaway Jr.

2. Tim Hardaway Jr. isn't a good defender

The Dallas Mavericks have made multiple moves this summer that addressed their need to add defense.

They acquired Grant Williams through a three-team sign and trade with the Spurs and Celtics and drafted Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Dereck Lively II. All three of these moves gave the Mavs another new defender, but they also lost Reggie Bullock in the trade for Williams.

Dallas has to get back to playing better defense, and trading Hardaway Jr. for a player who is a plus defender will make that task easier.

The Mavericks' guards overall struggle defensively. Other than Josh Green and Dante Exum, the Mavericks don't have any solid guard defenders. It's obviously not Hardaway Jr.'s fault that Dallas constructed the team this way, but trading him makes sense, as they already have two scoring guards in Seth Curry and Jaden Hardy.

They don't need him anymore, and his inability to stay with players on the perimeter is even more of a concern now that the Mavs lost Bullock. Dallas losing Bullock could turn out to be a bigger loss than expected. They'll need Green to take a step up defensively, and Exum may play more than people expect, as Dallas needs a guard defender.

The Mavs still have a roster spot that they can use on a good defender, but they don't need an aging defensive liability in Hardaway Jr.

Despite being a great shooter and playing some of the best basketball after the Mavs traded for Kyrie Irving, the Mavs still need to trade him.