The Mavericks may have plenty of bodies at wing and forward, but that hasn’t softened their stance on the market for P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford.
Dallas is dealing with an offseason that still feels very much in motion, with buyout and trade chatter hanging around because the roster is currently one player over the maximum. Brandon Williams and Dwight Powell, both pending free agents, likely won’t have room once new front office boss Masai Ujiri settles in. Even so, the names drawing the most attention are a different group of Mavs contributors.
Washington has become a frequent topic in trade speculation, alongside Klay Thompson and Gafford. But Marc Stein has reported that Ujiri is believed to be a fan of Washington, a sign Dallas may want to keep the Frisco native and multi-position wing in place.
That makes sense given what the Mavericks gave up to get him. Dallas landed Washington at the trade deadline before its run to the 2024 NBA Finals, sending Seth Curry, Grant Williams and a first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets. Washington then signed a four-year, $88.7 million extension in September of last year, and at 27, he fits the team’s youth-focused build around Cooper Flagg.
Still, the asking price is high. According to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, the Mavericks are not expected to consider deals for Washington that don’t bring back a first-round pick. The same standard could apply to Gafford, who also arrived at the 2023-24 deadline in exchange for a first-rounder.
Those moves were made under Nico Harrison, but Dallas doesn’t appear ready to let sunk cost dictate the roster. Washington and Gafford both matter for reasons that go beyond asset value. They provide continuity, and they give the team real functional pieces.
Washington can defend almost anywhere, working as a big guard or a small-ball center. His 3-point shooting dipped to 32.5 percent last season, but he still has the kind of range that can get back to league average, especially if Dallas gets better playmaking from the backcourt after struggling there a year ago.
The fit is messy right now. Newly extended Naji Marshall, trade pickup Zaccharie Risacher and defensive rookie Morez Johnson Jr. all overlap with Washington in the wing-forward lane, and Flagg’s expected workload of more than 30 minutes a night only adds to the crowding.
Gafford brings a different kind of value. As a true center, he becomes especially important if Dereck Lively II continues the pattern of missing significant time because of injury. Lively is still part of the long-term core in the Flagg era, but Dallas can’t afford to go thin at center and risk losing its lob threat and rim protection when injuries hit.
Thompson is in a different category. His standing is less about roster overlap than age and a 2025-26 season that fell below his own standards. Even so, he shot 38 percent from 3 last season, which keeps him relevant for Dallas or for a contender looking for help later in the year.
For now, the rumor mill may keep spinning into the regular season as Dusty May sorts through lineups and players help shape their own market with how they perform. But the message from Dallas is clear: if a deal is going to happen, it starts with premium draft capital.
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Anthony Davis Trade Looks Smarter As Mavericks Avoid One Huge Risk
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The bigger picture now looks even cleaner for Dallas because the Wizards are not racing into extension talks with Davis, despite his eligibility arriving earlier than that. For the Mavericks, that matters: it means they avoided the kind of long-term risk that can hang over a team if a stars next deal becomes the central question, while Washington is left to navigate a far more complicated timeline with one of the leagues most expensive potential next contracts looming. [Read more 🡒]