16 Players the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon

14. Jae Crowder

The Mavericks acquired Jae Crowder in a draft night trade in 2012, and the 6’6 forward immediately cracked the rotation as a rookie. The 22-year-old was a versatile bench option that needed to improve his jumper.

He spent two and a half seasons in Dallas before being traded to the Boston Celtics in the infamous Rajon Rondo trade in 2014. For those unfamiliar, Rondo’s time with the Mavericks was awful, and Crowder made matters ten times worse.

The 6’6 forward quickly became a starter in Boston and had arguably the two best seasons of his career. Crowder helped the Celtics make the conference finals in 2017 as he averaged 13.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 32.4 minutes per game, including shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range.

He was traded to Cleveland in the 2017 offseason, and he continues to be a productive wing option that contenders desire. Jae Crower helped the Heat and Suns reach the NBA Finals in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021, and his shot-making and versatility can be massive additions to any squad.

The Dallas Mavericks gave him up in a disastrous trade that will forever go down as one of the team’s most regrettable moves in franchise history.