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

4. 2000s: Antawn Jamison

In the middle of the 2003 NBA offseason, the Dallas Mavericks made a pivotal move. The team was fresh off a trip to the Western Conference Finals in the season before where they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs, and they were ready to contend again.

Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Michael Finley were a terrific trio, and they needed one more piece to ensure they remain in the hunt for an NBA Finals win the following season. Dallas' big move ended up being a nine-player trade to acquire Antawn Jamison from the Golden State Warriors, and he ended up being a great fit off the Mavs' bench.

In his one season with the Mavs, Jamison averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown. Jamison's big numbers off the bench led him to winning the 2003-04 Sixth Man of the Year, but his time in Dallas ended shortly after.

Dallas traded Jamison to the Washington Wizards that summer in a deal for a first-round pick, Jerry Stackhouse, and Christian Laettner. The Mavs reportedly made this deal for the No. 5 overall pick to try to offer a bigger trade package to the Los Angeles Lakers for Shaquille O'Neal, but the deal never happened.

While that pick turned into Devin Harris and Stackhouse was solid for Dallas, they definitely gave up on Jamison a bit too soon. He remained an elite role player for most of the rest of his career and made his first All-Star Game the year after Dallas traded him.