After sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans 132-91, the Dallas Mavericks have positioned themselves for a potential NBA Cup playoff berth. The team is currently second in the West Group C series with a game tonight against the Denver Nuggets.

If Dallas can beat the Nuggets, they will move to 2-1 in the group stage. Their last game is on December 3 against the Memphis Grizzles.

Despite the Mavs winning three in a row, they will have an uphill battle against the Nuggets as they will be without superstar Luka Doncic. Doncic is expected to be sidelined for at least a week due to a right wrist sprain, which he injured in the win against New Orleans.

With Doncic’s injury, this will not only free up more time for reserves like Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy, but it will also give the team a better understanding of what moves to make as the trade deadline approaches.

Both Hardy and Dinwiddie have had their ups and downs throughout the early part of the season. While Hardy has proven to be the better of the two over the past 15 games, Dinwiddie has still proven to be a reliable veteran off the bench at times this year.

Against Oklahoma City last Sunday, the two guards combined to score 23 points off the bench. Not only did Hardy prove to be an essential part of the bench, but he also showed his ability to be trusted within the Mavericks’ nine-man rotation.

Despite Hardy’s recent progress, the Mavericks need to solidify his role with a trade this offseason if they want to get serious about winning a championship.

In a recent article from Bleacher Report, Dan Favale suggested that the Mavericks should upgrade the roles of Hardy and Dinwiddie by trading for another ballhandler who can also play on the wing. With the team’s defensive issues and three-point struggles, this move makes sense.

It’s no secret: one of the Mavericks’ biggest needs is acquiring a new wing they can plug in and play off the bench. While Hardy and Dinwiddie have played well all season, the Mavericks need stability and consistency off the bench, which they can find with a wing.

This by no means means the team needs to trade both Hardy and Dinwiddie to achieve this goal, but upgrading the Mavs’ reserve minutes should be at the top of the list of team needs.

Through 15 games, the Mavericks are ranked in the top 10 in both offense and defense, but fans have seen the Mavs struggle time and time again to know the Mavericks need to upgrade with defensive depth.

Acquiring a wing would not only give the team defensive depth, but it could also give the team a shooter from behind the arc.

This season, the Mavericks rank ninth in the Western Conference in 3-point percentage. Not only is this number disappointing, but it should be a sign to the front office that they need to upgrade with more consistent shooting.

Acquiring a mid-range wing could give the Mavericks the flexibility they need to make another deep playoff run in April.