Daniel Gafford is making it harder and harder for the Mavericks to even entertain the idea of moving him.
The Dallas big man has opened the season playing some of the best basketball of his career, putting up 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting a career-high 75.0 percent from the field. That kind of production has given Dallas a steady presence in the paint on both ends, especially with Dereck Lively II still sidelined as he works back from a foot injury that has kept him out since November of last year.
That absence has only sharpened the value of what Gafford is bringing. Dallas has leaned on him as its most dependable interior option, and the front office’s earlier willingness to shop him now looks a lot less relevant.
The Mavericks had kept Gafford on the trade block for multiple years after acquiring him in February 2024, and they stayed open to moving him this offseason as well. Even the team’s new front office, led by Masai Ujiri, ultimately decided to keep him.
Lately, Gafford has looked like exactly the kind of player a team wants to hold onto. Over his last two games, he has totaled 38 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks, with Monday night’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings standing out as his best showing of the season.
He finished with 20 points and did most of his damage right at the rim. Gafford converted multiple reverse layups, finished a lob from Cooper Flagg, and knocked down an and-one fadeaway jumper over Domantas Sabonis from the middle of the lane. Sabonis had trouble keeping him out of the paint, and Gafford’s energy left its mark even though Dallas came away with a loss.
For a Mavericks team still looking for consistency inside, that matters. Morez Johnson Jr. is still working through early growing pains, and the frontcourt has been hit hard by injuries, with Santi Aldama and Lively both yet to play. In that mix, Gafford has been the stabilizing force.
At this point, Dallas should only consider moving him if an offer is truly overwhelming. After years of being viewed as a possible trade chip, Gafford’s play has pushed the Mavericks toward a different conclusion: keep him.
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