12 Players the Dallas Mavericks should trade for to improve their defense

5. Dorian Finney-Smith

Every Dallas Mavericks fan's heart hurt when Dallas traded Dorian Finney-Smith to the Brooklyn Nets last season.

This trade was necessary for Dallas, as it gave the Mavs Kyrie Irving, but Finney-Smith built his career from the ground up in Dallas and no one wanted to see him go. He went from undrafted to solidified starter, and was the perfect fit next to Luka Doncic.

He and Doncic were also best friends, and Luka has made it obvious that he wants to play with Finney-Smith again one day.

So why not this year?

Reports indicate that the Mavs have shown a level of interest in a trade for Finney-Smith, and making a move for him at the trade deadline may be the perfect idea. This season for Brooklyn, Finney-Smith is averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1 percent from downtown.

He is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and Dallas would benefit tremendously from having his perimeter defense on the floor next to Doncic and Irving. Finney-Smith can guard multiple positions, and his familairty with Dallas and many of their players would be an easy swap.

The asking price for Finney-Smith is not cheap, as Brooklyn seems to be asking for multiple first-round picks, but it sounds like Finney-Smith "would love" to return to Dallas one day.