4 Types of players the Mavericks could trade for that would make them contenders

3. Definitive third playmaker/shot creator

Kyrie Irving just recently returned to the Mavericks lineup after missing 12 straight games due to a heel injury sustained on December 8 against the Portland Trail Blazers where Mavericks center Dwight Powell landed on Irving's foot. Irving regained his stride in the Mavericks most recent victory against the Utah Jazz, but his absence during the month of December showcased one of Dallas' most glaring weaknesses.

Dallas went 6-6 during Irving's absence and the increased amount of pressure on Doncic and other Mavericks' ball handlers was extremely noticeable during the stretch. Irving opens up a ton of space for Dallas' offense just with his scoring threat, and he's a great ball mover when Dallas has to work the 4-on-3 after breaking a double-team at the point-of-attack.

That's only the tip of the iceberg when talking about how dynamic Irving is for the Mavericks' offense, but nonetheless it goes to show just how essential Irving is to the Mavericks' offensive attack even when he's having an off-night. Irving is attracting a ton of attention from opposing defenses every night regardless of how he's playing, so maybe Dallas should look to add a third shot creator in the lineup next to him and Doncic, as doing so would give opposing teams nightmares trying to contain all three of them on defense.

Adding a third starting level shot-creator would be a huge get for Dallas, but they couldn't settle in a trade for a playmaker/shot-creator because it isn't one of the most pressing needs for the team right now. Dallas needs to focus on adding defensive prowess in their front-court, but adding another playmaker/shot-creator wouldn't be the worst thing in the world especially if said player could play decent defense.

Irving has been extremely volatile in terms of staying on the court for Dallas this season and even for when he's healthy, Mavericks fans have seen the benefit of having three ball-handlers at the floor at once over the years, so it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to add another ball handler for the right price.