The Brooklyn Nets have a center problem, and it’s not a subtle one.
With Nic Claxton gone and Day’Ron Sharpe working his way back from injury, the front line suddenly looks thin. That’s why Daniel Gafford has surfaced as a logical target. The Dallas Mavericks center gives teams exactly what Brooklyn is missing: rim protection, energy, and a real threat as a lob finisher.
Marc Stein reported that Dallas is “actively fielding offers” for the 27-year-old, and it’s easy to see why the Nets would be interested. Gafford brings the kind of vertical gravity and defensive security that can stabilize a rotation. Brooklyn had that with Claxton, but his salary was absorbed into the Chicago Bulls’ cap space in the four-team Randle deal on June 29.
Sharpe is expected to step in as the starter, and the Nets clearly like him. He plays with a high motor and owns the highest career offensive rebounding percentage in NBA history. That said, he’s also coming off season-ending surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb in March, which leaves Brooklyn vulnerable if he misses time again.
If that happens, Jordi Fernández would likely have to get creative. Julius Randle could slide to small-ball center, while Danny Wolf is another option as the anchor. Wolf has the size at 6-foot-11, but his rim protection doesn’t match the job, since he averaged 0.5 blocks per game.
That’s where Gafford starts to look like a clean fit. He could replace the Claxton role right away and also give the Nets a dependable backup plan behind Sharpe. His track record matters here too: he has started in Washington and come off the bench in Dallas, so he’s shown he can handle either assignment without throwing off the rest of the group.
There’s also the fit with the backcourt to consider. Sean Marks could pair Gafford with rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr., giving Brooklyn a vertical pick-and-roll partner it currently doesn’t have.
From a trade standpoint, the price looks manageable. Dallas got Gafford for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick, a package Brooklyn could realistically match.
Gafford is set to make $17.2 million next season, and the Nets could send Terance Mann, who is on $15.5 million, straight up with picks attached. They could also include Nolan Traoré, who is on $4 million, as a sweetener.
Moving Traoré would mean giving up on a recent first-round investment, but his route to steady minutes is getting tighter. He missed Summer League after knee surgery, and with Brown Jr. and Keon Ellis now in the backcourt, it’s hard to see a major role opening up for him.
So the Nets are at a fork in the road. If they believe they can push toward a playoff spot, paying for a proven rim protector like Gafford makes sense. If they’re thinking longer term, trusting Sharpe and keeping future draft capital might be the better bet.
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