3 most likely Mavericks players to be traded before end of 2023-24 season

1. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has been rumored in a potential trade away from Dallas practically since he got here in February of 2019. However, Hardaway's trade value always seems to be hard to gauge, as his streaky play causes his trade value to fluctuate throughout different junctures of the regular season. The Mavericks have had opportunities to trade Hardaway Jr. when he was in the midst of playing well multiple times throughout the last few seasons.

Hardaway Jr. has remained a consummate professional despite his name being mentioned in trade rumors throughout his time in Dallas, but the Mavericks are simply too overstaffed at guard, and Hardaway Jr.'s contract is just too tradable to not consolidate for a center. Hardaway Jr. was mentioned in trade rumors earlier this summer, but no groundwork has materialized into a deal yet as training camp approaches this Wednesday.

The 2022-23 NBA season was one of reclamation for Hardaway Jr. after he missed the Mavericks' 2022 playoff run. Hardaway Jr. restored his 3-point shooting last season to a clip of 38.5 percent after only shooting 33.6 percent from distance in the 42 games he played before a toe fracture kept him out for the remainder of the season in 2022.

Hardaway Jr. was an integral component of the Mavericks' offense during the beginning of the year last year, and his shot-creation ability and willingness to shoot from anywhere have been sorely needed in Dallas the last few seasons.

With Dallas bringing back Seth Curry though, they had yet another offensive-oriented guard off the bench. Not to mention that Jaden Hardy hopes to take a sophomore leap, and the Mavericks have some intriguing young two-way players at guard as well.

By no means is Hardaway Jr. expendable, but with how bad Dallas still needs a true starting caliber center, he's certainly the most likely candidate to be shipped out by the end of the season out of anyone on the roster, given his tradable $17.8 million salary he's set to make next season as well as the Mavericks having an abundance of guards. Head coach Jason Kidd recently unveiled his high expectations for Hardaway Jr. this season, so maybe he isn't dealt after all, but we'll see.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks as we approach training camp and preseason, so stay tuned.