Less than a year after he helped them make the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks could be parting ways with their starting center.
Christian Clark of The Athletic reports this week that the Mavs have “dangled” big man Daniel Gafford in recent trade talks. Clark notes that Dallas is hoping to acquire an impact perimeter defender ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Thus, the Mavs appear to be willing to part with Gafford in the right deal.
The 26-year-old Gafford was acquired by Dallas at last year’s trade deadline, and along with fellow trade deadline pickup PJ Washington, gave the team enough frontcourt firepower to make it out of the Western Conference and into the Finals. This season, Gafford is averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game and continues to make a strong impact in the paint on both ends of the floor.
But while Gafford was Dallas’ starting 5 throughout their NBA Finals run, he is essentially platooning at the position now with teammate Dereck Lively II, who is both younger (20) and taller (7-foot-1) than the 6-foot-10 Gafford is. With Washington and Maxi Kleber also capable of playing small-ball center minutes, Gafford, who is signed through 2025-26, is no longer extremely pivotal to the Mavs.
We already heard there was one specific defender that Dallas was targeting via trade. With less than three weeks to go until the trade deadline, Gafford could now be a part of their intensifying efforts to upgrade on that front.
