Dallas Mavericks trade rumors: Mavericks should start looking for Nowitzki's replacement

Despite promising performances from the newcomers, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves struggling as they have mostly been without Dirk Nowitzki.

As of writing, the Mavericks are winless at 0-3 in the season, finding themselves last in the Southwest Division. Two of these losses have come at the hands of the Houston Rockets but probably the biggest missing piece is the presence of Nowitzki.

The legendary German played in the season opener against the Indiana Pacers, leading the team with 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Unfortunately, he has not been available for the last two games and as the Mavericks lost, it is now a question whether the team needs to look for a suitable replacement for their best player.

In the past, there have been talks of bringing in Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether this would happen this year or the next year, it is imperative that they start finding someone to carry the load.

At the moment, the team is competitive, or it should be, with Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes coming in to help the team.

Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews are coming back and should be relied on for scoring points and making plays down the stretch, but the Mavericks definitely need someone who they can depend on fully.

Year on year, Nowitzki was able to do that. But he is now older and is missing games, so the Mavericks must look elsewhere.

Griffin is a completely different player in terms of style, but if the Mavericks can make this happen then it should be checked out.

At 38 years old, Nowitzki has done enough to be injured for a long time, but Father Time is unbeaten and the German's productivity should be something the Mavericks get as a plus and not something they should solely rely on.