16 Players the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon

7. Jamal Mashburn

The Mavericks won just 11 games in 1993, but they slipped to fourth in the lottery. It was a disappointing result, but the franchise selected Jamal Mashburn, who was a 6’8 forward. He averaged 19.2 points per game as a rookie and it gave Dallas two young scoring wings to build around. The Mavs only won 13 games in 1994, but their prize was drafting Jason Kidd with the number two pick.

Things were promising for a moment, but things quickly blew up. Jim Jackson and Mashburn feuded over who should be the top scorer. Kidd and Jackson did not get along either. Things got messy and soon reached the point of no return.

Mashburn played just 18 games in 1996 because of injuries, and he was traded to Miami in February of 1997 for an uninspiring package headlined by Kurt Thomas.

After leaving Dallas, Mashburn became a key role player for the Heat and Hornets, including making his first All-Star appearance in 2003. The Mavericks traded all three J’s before they reached their prime, but it was necessary because they could not get along.

Jamal Mashburn’s career was cut short by injuries, but he made seven playoff appearances and scored over 20 points per game in four seasons after leaving Dallas.