The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of what has become a disastrous season. With what started as one of the most shocking trades in sports history, when the Mavs traded away Luka Doncic, to the team battling injury after injury, which derailed their season.
The Mavericks are now in uncharted waters. With only a handful of games left in the season, they can choose to put this season in the rearview mirror and focus on the offseason or stay competitive and fight for one of the play-in tournament spots.
While this season has only continued to go downhill, Dallas and fans are only reminded of the head scratching Quentin Grimes trade after the fourth year guard has been averaging career highs in Philadelphia. In March, Grimes is averaging 26.1 points per game.
Grimes trade details keep making Mavs fans cringe
To make matters worse, Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont recently came out publicly and yet again double-downed that they traded Doncic and Grimes to help better the team's future. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they traded away one of their most valuable second-round picks in the Grimes trade, which could have bad repercussions on the Mavs’ future.
When the Mavericks decided to trade Grimes to the Sixers in return for Caleb Martin, fans couldn't process why they would trade away one of their few ball handlers in the rotation. Grimes hadn't only proven to be a valuable piece in Dallas, but he continues to shatter expectations in Philly.
When making the trade, Nico Harrison included Philadelphia's own 2025 second-round pick, which has been passed around the league for its value. The 76ers are expected to receive good second round value, which is why the draft capital included in the Grimes trade continues to leave fans scratching their head.
To make matters worse, Martin's limited time in Dallas has looked to be a complete flop without a meaningful role alongside a star player. Martin shines in an offense where he can score off the attraction a Kyrie Irving or Anthony Davis creates on the offensive end, without those two, his offensive play has meant nothing.
As the Mavericks could look to the future and build off what little draft capital they have, it's hard not to think Harrison might be kicking himself for including Philly's second round pick in the trade to get Martin. Not only would Grimes be shining in Dallas with the amount of injuries this season, but the Mavericks had an outside shot at acquiring a steal early in the second with the 76ers' pick. The Mavericks are only going to get flamed more if Philadelphia strikes gold with this pick, and by no means should that pick have been part of the deal.
Dallas will have an uphill battle to win back the love of the fan base, but trading away Grimes, who has only proven to be a potential star in Philadelphia, and including a valuable second round pick in the deal is one move fans can't wrap their heads around. Losing a potential young star along with one of the first picks in the second round was a major fumble by Dallas, but they'll have a chance to recover.
Assuming the Mavericks don't trade their first-round pick on draft night, the team will still have valuable draft capital they can use to acquire another young piece. Dallas has no doubt gotten older since the trade deadline, which is why the Mavericks should focus on young talent to potentially build around in the future.
