In the wake of the injury to starting center Dwight Powell earlier this week, the Dallas Mavericks set out to find a replacement for the athletic big man. The Mavs found that replacement in Golden State Warriors center Willie Cauley-Stein.

Willie Cauley-Stein signed with Golden State this offseason after spending his first four seasons as a major rotational piece for the Sacramento Kings. Despite signing just a $4.4 million contract over two years, the 26-year-old was expected to make a major impact for Golden State.

While definitely not spectacular, Cauley-Stein has been quite solid for a Warriors team that was devastated by injuries and general lack of established talent. WCS has started the majority of the games he has appeared in and in just 22.9 minutes per contest, the former Kentucky star is putting up 7.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and over a block per game.

His offensive game is limited but Cauley-Stein is a solid defender and rebounder who can run the floor which fits in the Mavs' plan to find a replacement for Powell.

With no real chance to make the playoffs this season, the Warriors were likely desperate to offload some talent — they did just that. The Warriors' situation allowed Dallas to come in and steal Cauley-Stein for pretty much nothing.

In exchange for a seven-footer in the supposed athletic prime of his career, the Mavs gave up just a 2020 second-round pick from the Utah Jazz. And although quality players are found in the second round every year, the pick is likely going to be in the back end of the round and Golden State will be lucky to find someone that late with as much talent as Cauley-Stein.

Perhaps the best part of the deal is Cauley-Stein's contract. The former King is making just $2.2 million per season so it's not like the Mavs had to break the bank to acquire his services. This is the kind of financial savviness that teams should strive for.

This trade doesn't make the Mavs Western Conference favorites or anything but it does offer them a really solid big man as Powell likely misses the rest of the season. Not only that, but Dallas didn't have to give up much in return.

The trade signals that Dallas is focused on winning now and with a talent like Luka Doncic on your team, it's hard to blame them. Currently, the Mavs sit as the West's fifth seed with a 28-16 record and could be a sleeper team come playoff time.

Overall, I think the Mavs made a pretty low-risk, high-reward move that only made sense considering their recent injuries. Therefore, I'd give the trade an A-.