Mavs' Team Effort Rewarded with Road Win vs. 76ers; Time to Trade Tim Hardaway Jr.?

There was a turning point in Monday's game, as Tim Hardaway Jr. got off to an 0-8 shooting start with the Mavs down 33-26 after the first quarter. From that point on, Hardaway only played 10 more minutes and didn't attempt another field goal en route to zero points, two rebounds and zero assists. The Mavs won every quarter after that.

When Hardaway sat down for the final time with the Mavs up nine points in the fourth quarter, Dallas built its lead to 20 to put the game away for good.

As good as Hardaway has been on the offensive end of the floor at times this season, the Mavs aren't good enough defensively overall to overcome his defensive struggles, especially on nights where he doesn't have it when shooting the ball. Hardaway's hot shooting has gotten the Mavs some wins they wouldn't have otherwise this season due to the team enduring several injuries, but they've also lost a lot of games when the pendulum swings the opposite direction.

As Thursday's trade deadline nears, the time has come for the Mavs to move on from Hardaway. This isn't to say the 11th-year veteran isn't a good player, but the type of player he is might be holding back the rest of the Mavs' roster. If Dallas can find a way to swap Hardaway for a bigger player like Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma or Golden State Warriors' Andrew Wiggins, for example, it could have a positive ripple effect across the the roster going forward.

Hardaway has been in the running for Sixth Man of the Year this season, as he's averaging 18.3 points while shooting 36.8 percent from deep. However, the Mavs need more size and versatility, and that leaves Hardaway as the odd man out.

After spending five years in Dallas, we'll see if Hardaway is in the final days of his Mavericks era. The Mavs will take on the Brooklyn Nets on a second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday night, then they'll take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday after the trade deadline to finish up a three-game road trip. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for updates.