5 Biggest needs for the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline

The Dallas Mavericks are 26-22 through the first 48 games of the season after Wednesday night's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the time may be now for a move.

The NBA trade deadline is now less than a week away, and the Mavs must make a move if they want to solidify themselves as a top team in the Western Conference.

5 Biggest needs for the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline

The Mavs have been linked to several players on the trade market, including Miles Bridges and Kyle Kuzma, and a trade almost seems guaranteed considering their past endeavors over the past few trade deadlines which include trading for Kyrie Irving last season and trading Kristaps Porzingis in 2022.

Here are the five biggest needs for the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline.

5. A new backup point guard

Even though Jaden Hardy has looked excellent as a playmaker as of late, one of the most overlooked areas of need for the Dallas Mavericks as of late has been the backup point guard spot.

When Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving isn't on the floor, this team's offense has no sense of direction. The team is filled with score-first guards off the bench, and although Dante Exum has proven that he can be a solid facilitator and leader of the bench unit at times, he has been banged up as of late and didn't look the same when he returned from injury.

This isn't a knock on Exum or Hardy by any means, but adding a true point guard who can facilitate, operate in the pick and roll, and effectively lead the second unit is ideal. Trading for this type of player would add another dimension to the Mavs' second unit and ease the pressure off Doncic and Irving.

Doncic has had to play a crazy amount of minutes as of late and Jason Kidd has made it clear that he doesn't want this to continue. With Irving's uncertainty with injuries over the last few months, this area of need could quickly turn into a priority if the Mavs aren't confident that he can play a large majority of the remaining games once he returns from his thumb injury.