The Mavericks still have work to do, and one name keeps rising to the top of the trade conversation: Daniel Gafford.
Dallas has been quiet lately, but the offseason does not feel finished with veteran pieces still sitting in trade rumors. P.J.
Washington, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall are all in that mix. Even so, Masai Ujiri’s long-standing preference for wings and forwards makes Gafford the most obvious candidate to move.
That idea might look odd from the outside, because Dallas already leans heavy on the wing. With free-agent big man Moussa Cisse still not re-signed, Gafford is one of only two pure centers on the roster.
The other is Dereck Lively II, and he has not come along as quickly as expected after foot surgery at the end of 2025. He also appears unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season.
Still, Ujiri’s track record points in a different direction. During his time with the Toronto Raptors, he consistently valued wing depth, and that same thinking seems to be showing up again with Dallas. The Mavericks’ new draftee, Morez Johnson Jr., and recently acquired forward Santi Aldama can both fill in at center in short stretches, but neither profiles as a full-time starter at the five.
That leaves Gafford in an interesting spot. From a pure roster-building standpoint, keeping him over Washington, Thompson or Marshall makes more sense.
But Ujiri and Mike Schmitz appear willing to chase talent first, even if it leaves the roster overloaded on wings. Gafford may also carry more value than most of the other names in that group, with Washington perhaps the only exception, and that could make him the player Ujiri is most willing to move.
There is also the question of what Dallas wants its offense to look like. Ujiri and Schmitz could be aiming for more versatility, and with Washington and Aldama both able to play as a stretch-five, they may be comfortable using lineups without a true rim protector for long stretches. If Gafford were traded without another center coming back, Cisse would likely be Dallas’ only healthy center.
None of that guarantees Gafford is the next Maverick out the door. But Ujiri has already shown in Dallas that he is leaning into the same wing-heavy approach that defined his front-office history, and that makes Gafford the most logical trade candidate among the veterans in rumor traffic.
Ujiri has already built a championship team once, so the résumé is there. The question now is whether this version of roster construction pays off for the Mavericks, or whether the wing obsession creates more problems than it solves. For now, though, Gafford looks like the most likely name to watch.
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De Larrea finished with 16 points and 12 assists, a line that stood out even more because Dallas was missing Morez Johnson Jr. and Ryan Nembhard. The bench did its part too, as Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Darin Green Jr. and Jaden Springer all reached double figures, giving the Mavericks a deeper look at who can carry real weight when the rotation thins out. [Read more 🡒]
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He has also drawn positive remarks from the Mavericks Summer League staff after holding his own against tougher competition, the kind of early impression that can matter for a player trying to carve out a path. Dallas does not have an open roster spot right now, but the expectation is that he will get a training camp invite and a chance to keep forcing the issue for a place in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Finally Have A Klay Thompson Decision To Make
Klay Thompson may have become a name to watch again in Dallas, where the Mavericks still have him on an expiring deal worth about $17.5 million next season. Miami is reportedly interested in bringing in the veteran shooter regardless of what LeBron James decides, and that kind of interest matters because Dallas would rather work out a trade than simply move on via buyout.
For the Mavericks, the appeal is obvious: Thompson still carries enough reputation as a high-end floor spacer to draw real attention, even if his contract makes any deal tricky. For Miami, the pursuit sits alongside a broader search for scoring options, with the Heat also keeping tabs on other veteran names as they sort through a crowded offseason board. [Read more 🡒]