Did the Dallas Mavericks subtly hint at fan-favorite guard's departure?

The Dallas Mavericks have made plenty of moves in free agency this offseason, such as re-signing Kyrie Irving, acquiring Grant Williams through a sign and trade, and signing Seth Curry.

It's clear that they don't want what happened last year to happen again, and they are slowly reloading their roster to look more like a championship contender through free agency and the draft.

They've added a new rim protector in Dereck Lively II, a lockdown wing defender with a high ceiling in Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and traded for another big man in Richaun Holmes. It seems a trade for a starting big man could happen eventually, but we have to wait and see.

Did the Dallas Mavericks subtly hint at fan-favorite guard's departure?

Along with all of these moves, a move that doesn't look like it will happen is the Mavericks re-signing Theo Pinson. This is something that was originally reported (subscription required) by Marc Stein, but another decision by the Mavs almost confirms this.

The Mavs PR account on Twitter posted an introductory tweet about Williams and also included his number. They said that Williams will be wearing No. 3 and Jaden Hardy will be switching to No. 1. Pinson wore No. 1 during both seasons he played in Dallas, and the Mavs giving his number to Hardy almost guarantees that Pinson won't return to Dallas.

Pinson averaged 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists during his two seasons with the Mavs. He was a great hype man for this team and always had a smile on his face, but it looks like his time in Dallas has come to a close.

Pinson was a player that openly wanted to return to Dallas, but it doesn't look like that will be the case.

Sure, Pinson could re-sign on a minimum contract and choose a new number, but even that seems unlikely. Pinson was already a player that Dallas didn't look like they were going to bring back, and this number change for Hardy combined with Stein's report, is a solid reason to believe that Pinson won't be a Maverick next season.

Pinson is an unrestricted free agent this summer and can sign wherever he pleases.

We'll have you covered with all the free agency news and rumors surrounding the Mavs, so stay tuned.