16 Players the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon

8. Detlef Schrempf

The Mavs drafted Schrempf with the eighth overall pick in 1985, but he was stuck behind Rolando Blackman, Mark Aguirre, and Sam Perkins. The 6’10 forward showed flashes over his three and a half years in Dallas before being traded to the Pacers for Herb Williams in 1989. The Mavericks slowly started blowing things up as Schrempf’s career took off.

He was an All-Star for the first time in 1993, and the 6’10 forward was a key role player for the Pacers and SuperSonics for the next decade. He made three All-Star appearances along with winning two Sixth Man of the Year awards and being named third-team All-NBA in 1995.

Schrempf paved the way for Dirk Nowitzki to come to the NBA. The 6’10 forward was just the third German-born player to enter the league and the first to become an All-Star. Nowitzki looked up to Schrempf, and he helped Dirk give his dream a dose of reality.

The Dallas Mavericks gave up on Detlef Schrempf at the worst possible time. He was just entering his prime and ready to take that next step. Dallas did not have the minutes open, but they could have created some after trading Mark Aguirre. Instead, the Mavs decided to move on from Schrempf too, only for him to become a three-time All-Star.