As rumors circulate, let’s analyze the worst-case scenario for the Dallas Mavericks at the approaching NBA trade deadline in 2024.

Due to several players, the Dallas Mavericks are approaching the NBA trade deadline.The Mavs have been linked to trade prospects Andrew Wiggins, PJ Washington, and Kyle Kuzma in rumors.

Dallas will benefit from the trade deadline this year in a few different ways. And no, it won’t depend just on what Dallas does. So how might the Mavericks find themselves in a terrible situation as a result of the trade deadline?

The Mavs are currently eighth in the Western Conference as of the time this piece was written. In the race for the fifth, sixth, and seventh slots in the conference, they are just behind the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and New Orleans Pelicans. In the meantime, the Mavericks and Lakers are tied for second place in the standings.

It is unlikely that any of these teams will make one or more significant trades before Thursday’s deadline. But once more, the focus of this piece is Dallas’ terrible trade deadline situation. And the Mavs aren’t too optimistic about any of these Western Conference opponents making significant progress.

The top four clubs in the conference—the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets—upgrading their rosters will, of course, infuriate the Mavericks as well. However, the Mavericks don’t just want to guarantee a berth in the NBA In-Season Tournament; they want to punch their ticket to the postseason.

In order to secure a top-six seed in the conference, the Mavs would need to finish ahead of the Lakers, Pelicans, Suns, and Kings in terms of record.

What about the Mavericks, then? What would their own actions during the NBA trade deadline constitute as a nightmare scenario?

For the Mavericks, standing pat wouldn’t be the worst thing to do. Yes, fans of the Mavericks would be thrilled to see Kyle Kuzma join the team.

When healthy, Dallas has shown indications of playing at a high level. Jason Kidd, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving have all talked about how crucial it will be to stay healthy going forward.

Dallas would at least have a shot to contend if Doncic and Irving led the way going into the playoffs. They could, however, improve their defensive and rebounding game because they rely much too much on three-point shooting.

But failing to regain and maintain full health would be the Mavericks’ worst-case scenario going forward. Despite Irving and Doncic playing in both of Dallas’ back-to-back victories on Monday and Tuesday, injuries kept Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II off the court.