3 Mavericks on Thin Ice Heading Into the NBA Draft

After a highly successful season that saw the Dallas Mavericks make the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, it's time to turn our attention to the offseason. The Mavericks are in a different spot than the rest of the NBA as they already made their big moves at last year's trade deadline, acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. Now, they don't have too much cap space or draft capital to be very aggressive this summer.

However, that doesn't mean that they will stand pat. They are very close to winning a championship and they will undoubtedly make the necessary moves to take that next step. That includes making the difficult decisions to part ways with a couple of rotation players and upgrading their roster.

The Mavericks only have the 58th-overall pick in the draft. But they should be able to trade into an earlier pick by moving some of their players or their future draft assets. If they decide to do that, here are three Mavs who will be in those trade discussions.

1. Tim Hardaway Jr.

The 32-year-old shooting guard is the likeliest Maverick to be elsewhere next season. He saw his role and playing time diminish in the postseason as he struggled to make shots. He was always a defensive liability and at this stage of his career, he is just a deep bench piece who can only play limited minutes to jolt the offense.

Yet, he gets paid a lot more than that role would suggest. Making $16.1 million for the 2024-25 season, Hardaway Jr. is a luxury Dallas simply can't afford right now. His salary will either be used in a trade to bring back a high-level role player, or the Mavericks will find a team willing to take on that contract in exchange for some draft capital. Regardless of how they manage to move on from him, it's hard to see him back in a Dallas uniform next year.