1 Player from each decade the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon

Despite struggling some in their early years, the Dallas Mavericks have turned into one of the elite Western Conference teams over the last two eras with Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki leading the way.

Even though they only have one NBA Championship to show for it, the Mavs have had great success since entering the league in 1980, and they've had countless players who have shaped this franchise into one of the most respected teams in the league.

Nowitzki and Doncic are immediately the first two names that everyone thinks of, but players like Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper, and Jason Kidd need their flowers too.

1 Player from each decade the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon

Dallas' top players in franchise history feature plenty of legends, but some of these legends should have been on the team for longer than they were.

Every team loses players before they hit their prime or trades them at the worst time, and the Mavs are no different. This has happened in every decade of the franchise's existence at least once, and Dallas likely wishes they hadn't given up on some of these players.

6. 1980s: Mark Aguirre

Mark Aguirre is one of the greatest Dallas Mavericks ever, but they gave up on him way too soon as they traded him to the Detroit Pistons in 1989. Aguirre was the king of the 1980s for Dallas, as he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft and helped the franchise get their feet off the ground in just their second year of existence.

Immediately, Aguirre became the star of the show in Dallas and his ability to score was undeniably some of the best in the Western Conference. In just his third season, Aguirre averaged 29.5 points per game and made his first All-Star Game.

Although the Mavs never made an NBA Finals with Aguirre, they were super close in 1988. Dallas took the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games, but Los Angeles ended up beating them. The following year, Aguirre was traded to the Pistons.

There was some conflict between Aguirre and the team that caused this trade, and without him being traded, he would have likely had his number hanging in the rafters at the American Airlines Center. An argument can be made on why he deserves his jersey number to be retired, and the Mavs gave up on him far too soon even with the disconnect that occurred with the organization.

He is one of the best scorers of the 1980s, and he is seemingly forgotten about in Mavs history. He and Rolando Blackman formed an amazing duo, and fans will always wonder what would have happened if the Mavs and Aguirre could have sorted out their differences.