4 Mavericks who immediately became trade bait after Dinwiddie signing

2. Jaden Hardy

For 22-year-old guard Jaden Hardy, he had a sophomore slump season. Hardy's points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, and minutes per game all dropped from his rookie season.

Entering his third NBA season, Hardy could be part of the Mavs' core if he performs better, but this season will determine if he will be trade bait or a core piece.

Hardy struggled in the 2024 Playoffs averaging 4.6 points per game in under seven minutes per game. Hardy also was unplayable at times in the Playoffs early, but he finally got going in the Western Conference Finals. With Spencer Dinwiddie back on the Mavs, it could cause Hardy to get fewer minutes.

Dinwiddie has shown in the past that he's worthy of getting high minutes per game. Hardy hasn't quite exactly shown head coach Jason Kidd why he's capable of getting more minutes per game, and is inconsistent.

Hardy does have a cheap restricted contract at a little over $2 million for this season. But, if Hardy underperforms again this season, it could lead to the Mavs looking to trade him at the deadline. With already a deeply stacked guard team, Hardy might not have his position in the rotation on the Mavs.

Dinwiddie back in Dallas has put more pressure on another guard on the roster with Hardy. The Mavs don't want to give up on the young guard yet, but another underperforming season could lead to his Mavs' tenure ending sooner than expected.