10 players the Mavericks should immediately look to trade for after Dec. 15

9. Dennis Smith Jr.

One of the most interesting parts of the Dallas Mavericks' roster is their logjam of guards off the bench.

Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Seth Curry all come off the bench, and all three of them deserve minutes. Whether that is in Dallas or elsewhere.

Three of these four guards are also offensively-focussed players, with Green being the only one who is a great perimeter defender. Trading for someone like Dennis Smith Jr. would give the Mavs another talented guard off the bench, but the difference is that Smith Jr. is an elite perimeter defender.

This season for the Nets, Smith Jr. is averaging 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from downtown. He has taken massive strides over the last two seasons, and bringing him back to Dallas would help Dallas' overall defense and give them someone who can defend at the point of attack.

Smith Jr. has also already played in Dallas, and he and Luka Doncic were close friends during Doncic's rookie year. It's unclear how much Brooklyn would ask for Smith Jr., but I could see Dallas pursuing him as the second piece in a deal if they were ever to pursue Dorian Finney-Smith.

Both players would help Dallas' defense and they both played for the Mavs earlier in their careers.