The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the turn of the calendar year. They sit at 5th in the Western Conference, trailing the no. 4 seeded Utah Jazz by just 1.5 games.
Surprisingly, the Mavericks are racking up the wins due to their top-of-the-league defense over the past month. However, Dallas has seen a major drop on the other end of the floor. This is notable as they have been one of the top offensive teams in the NBA over the last couple of seasons.
With the NBA's trade deadline coming up in two weeks, the Mavericks may look to make a move to address their current offensive concerns.
Mavericks 2022 NBA Trade Deadline Need
With Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis leading the way, you'd think Dallas would maintain their standing as one of the top offenses in the NBA. But that just hasn't been the case this season.
It's a pretty shocking development considering just a couple of seasons ago, this same Mavericks squad was such a juggernaut that it posted the best offensive rating in NBA history at the time. They finished 8th last season. Now, Dallas is just at 19th across the league this 2021-22 campaign.
It certainly doesn't help that the Mavs lost one of their top offensive weapons in Tim Hardaway Jr. this past week. The 29-year old suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal on his left foot during Dallas' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Dallas has not determined a timetable for THJ. But usually, these kinds of injuries take multiple weeks or even months to come back from. Nonetheless, it's clear that the Mavericks will miss their Sixth Man slinger for a lengthy period.
Hardaway's injury certainly complicates things further for Dallas. They have been already looking at the trade deadline to make some upgrades. They also have decisions to make on whether they want to keep Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith past the deadline, due to their impending free agency this summer. Now, they may need to factor in Hardaway's absence in whatever move they decide to make.
One name that's been tied to the Mavericks since the beginning of the season is Goran Dragic. The 35-year old is still technically a Toronto Raptor, but he has been away from the Canada-based squad since mid-November due to personal matters.
Getting the seasoned veteran would be a great move for Dallas as he brings a secondary playmaker next to fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic. But there is a path to getting him without giving up assets, should Dragic and the Raptors mutually decide on a buyout down the line.
A few more names linked to a Mavericks trade include Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, and Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic. Those three, in a lot of ways, bring the same kind of firepower Hardaway brought off the bench.
Hield has long been in trade rumors for the Kings. Meanwhile, Gordon still has a lot in the tank and could definitely contribute to a title-hopeful like Dallas. Ross is also a wildcard piece given his go off on any single game. With their ability to get hot at any moment, those three are certainly capable of winning a playoff game for the Mavs.
As a team looking to make some noise in the postseason, the Mavericks need to address their offensive issues sooner rather than later. They have been by far the best defensive team in the league since January 1st. They could stand pat and hope that the offense that carried their team the last couple of seasons comes along for the ride. But perhaps a move this February is necessary to jump start their trend in the right direction offensively.
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