Letting Jalen Brunson walk is the wound that doesn't seem to heal for the Dallas Mavericks. 

The latest injury came from the Charlotte Hornets sweeping the season series after beating the Mavericks in Charlotte 110-104 on Sunday, knocking the Mavericks out of the NBA's Play-in picture with a mere seven games remaining. 

This team is drastically different from the 2021-22 Mavericks that were blessed with the breakout play of Brunson, who, in a recent report, wanted to stay in Dallas for the long haul. 

In a Bleacher Report interview by NBA reporter Chris Haynes, Brunson opened up on his Dallas experience for the first time. He praised the organization and the camaraderie he'd built with star Luka Doncic during the Mavericks' run to the Western Conference finals.

But Brunson also peeled back the curtain on how Dallas mangled the most essential free-agent signing in recent franchise history. Given Dallas' recent struggles, it is a message most Mavericks fans aren't willing to hear. But it is a perspective that holds the front office accountable for their mismanagement of a point guard in his prime that turned out to be far more consequential to Dallas' success than initially believed. 

"There were two times that I thought we had offers on the table before the season, and then around, I think December or January, they looked the other way," Brunson said to Haynes in the Bleacher Report article. "They had every right in the world to do so. I don't blame them for making any business decisions. That's on them."

Brunson would add later in the article: "… I wanted that role of being with the Mavericks for the long haul of my career… I truly loved that place."

Brunson is averaging career highs in scoring (23.8), assists (6.2), 3-point attempts (4.7), makes (1.9), and percentage (41.1). He's doubled his free-throw frequency and since January, he is averaging 28 PPG on 45 percent 3-point shooting.

Given the Mavericks' recent struggles, it is safe to say Dallas would fix some of the mistakes made last offseason. 

Before the trade for Kyrie Irving, Dallas lacked the pop that it possessed when Brunson was playing alongside Doncic. The move for Irving was in an attempt to recoup the offensive production lost in letting Brunson walk for nothing. 

It hasn't appeared to work. The Mavericks are 3-8 with Irving and Doncic in the lineup. And the two stars' attempts to build chemistry have been mitigated by an untimely injury that kept Doncic out five games while Irving floated in and out of the lineup with a foot injury. 

Recently, Doncic revealed that the Mavericks aren't playing with nearly enough joy and that he was dealing with off-court issues that are far bigger than basketball. 

Meanwhile, Irving, who, by all accounts, has been a locker-room asset to the Mavericks, has lambasted Mavericks fans for booing their team in hopes of inspiring better play. 

"You obviously want to play well, but it's only five people on the court that can play for the Dallas Mavericks," he said after the first loss to the Hornets on Friday. "If the fans wanna change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level."

These Mavericks are listless, lifeless, and joyless. The good news, at least for those who analyze the team, is there is plenty of blame to go around. But by far, the most glaring issue present in the Mavericks' struggles that have landed them at 36-39 on the season is letting their change-of-pace, near-All-star guard walk out the door with absolutely nothing in return. It is a move that created unnecessary desperation. And it led to a trade for Irving that, if he doesn't re-sign, will leave the Mavs far worse than previously theorized. 

The Mavs made their decisions. They now have to live with them.