Grade the Trade: Mavericks land Warriors sharpshooter in shocking proposal

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

Heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are playing great together.

The Mavs have all the tools to make a deep playoff run this year, but if they don't make the Western Conference Finals or NBA Finals this year, they'll be favorites to do so next season. Pretty much everyone on the squad outside of Derrick Jones Jr. will be under contract and their core will remain intact.

Adding Klay Thompson to their already stacked squad while trading away Tim Hardaway Jr. would be huge for Dallas as acquiring Thompson would be a big upgrade from Hardaway Jr. Dallas has been shopping Hardaway Jr. for some time now and this trade would finally allow them to get rid of him.

One part of the trade that doesn't seem bad but could end up coming back to bite them in the end is trading Jaden Hardy. Hardy hasn't looked great recently, but his potential and youth are intriguing. Teams have called about Hardy in the past and he may have more trade value than Mavs fans think.

Dallas clearly needs more shooting, and they would be adding one of the best shooters of all time in this move and he could start or come off the bench.

The Mavs get an A- for this trade as they finally get rid of Hardaway Jr. while adding a generational talent as a shooter in Thompson. Paying Thompson $20 million annually at his age and considering his injury history could be risky, but it could end up being worth it.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford

For all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs this weekend, stay tuned.