NBA Rumors: Mavs Tried to Trade Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr. After Kyrie Deal

After trading for Kyrie Irving last week, the Dallas Mavericks were busy trying to make additional moves to improve their depth.

Per The Athletic's Tim Cato, the Mavs attempted to move Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. but found "limited interest" from teams around the NBA.

The Mavs weren't a deep team coming into this season, but the acquisition of Irving significantly drained their talent pool.

Dallas sent Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith to the Brooklyn Nets in the trade. Dinwiddie ranked second on the Mavs in assists with 5.3 per game and third in scoring with 17.7 points per contest.

Finney-Smith has developed into an effective offensive player, but his primary value with the Mavs was his ability to match up defensively with the opposing team's best perimeter player.

Wood's value has been limited because of his general ineffectiveness on defense. The 27-year-old did generate positive buzz earlier this season for putting in more effort on that end, but he's still difficult to trust in end-of-game situations because teams can attack him inside.

Hardaway is a scoring 2-guard who is shooting under 40 percent from the field for the second consecutive season.

The main appeal for Hardaway in a trade would likely be his descending salary over the next two seasons. He will earn $17.9 million next season and $16.2 million in 2024-25 before becoming a free agent.

But that's still a lot of money to pay a limited offensive player whose shooting touch appears to be fading as he is on the verge of turning 31 on March 16.

Pairing Irving with Luka Dončić gives the Mavericks two All-Star talents who can carry them into the playoffs. Their lack of depth could be a problem if they make the postseason and have to play a top team in the Western Conference, though.

The Mavs have lost their first two games with Irving and Dončić on the court together. They have combined to average 62.0 points, 12.0 assists and 16.5 rebounds in those two contests.