10 players the Mavericks may replace Kyrie Irving with by the trade deadline

1. James Harden

All of the drama surrounding James Harden is an extreme negative, but if the Dallas Mavericks don't look like a playoff team at the time of the trade deadline and Philadelphia still hasn't traded him, Dallas could be a team that gets involved if they were able to land a sweetener in that deal.

Harden and Luka Doncic wouldn't be the best fit, but if signs are pointing to Dallas missing the playoffs this season and something were to happen to fracture Kyrie Irving's relationship with the Mavs, then the Mavs could make this move and get off Harden's contract after the season.

Harden has been one of the best scorers in the NBA for the last ten years, and having defenses stop him and Doncic would be difficult. His scoring off the dribble is some of the best that the league has ever seen, and he is also a phenomenal facilitator.

For his career, Harden averages 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He is unstoppable when he is in his zone, but his age and history of demanding trades away from every team he has played for is a massive red flag.

It doesn't seem like Dallas would even think about this move, but crazier things have happened in the NBA. If Kyrie and Luka don't work, Philly could push hard to land Joel Embiid a new co-star.

As stated before, Irving and Doncic seem to have improved chemistry and all signs are pointing up for the Mavs this season, but if something were to change, these are some players that Dallas could consider making a move for.