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

3. 2000s: Steve Nash

Overlooking Antawn Jamison wouldn't be giving him the recognition he needs, but the No. 1 player that the Dallas Mavericks gave up on way too soon in the 2000s was easily Steve Nash.

Nash played for the Mavs from 1988 until 2004, and he was an excellent fit next to Dirk Nowitzki. Nash and Nowitzki formed one of the best duos in the NBA and in Mavs history, and they even helped Dallas reach the Mavs reach the Western Conference Finals in 2003. This was the first time that Dallas had reached the conference finals since 1988, but the Nowitzki-Nash duo ended before they could fully get started.

Dallas ended up not re-signing Nash in the summer of 2004, and he signed with the Phoenix Suns. This turned out to be a huge mistake on Dallas' part, and he ended up winning back-to-back MVPs right after leaving the Mavs.

Dallas could have kept one of the best duos in franchise history together, but they lost him for nothing as he headed to Phoenix. The Mavs gave up on him way too soon, and he could have gone down in history as one of the greatest Mavericks ever if he had stayed for longer.

He could have even helped Dallas win a championship earlier than 2011, and fans will always think about how great the Mavs would have been if they held onto Nash. Despite some thinking he was extremely overrated, Nash was a force to be reckoned with in the 2000s.