Brutal Dereck Lively II injury traps Mavericks in dangerous trade corner

The news of Dereck Lively II having to undergo season-ending foot surgery is a major gut punch to Dallas Mavericks fans. The underlying issue is what Dallas will do with Daniel Gafford now. The seven-year big man from Arkansas has already been in the middle of trade rumors this season, and the injury to Lively II could mean that the Mavs will keep Gafford rather than trading him.

Lively II is now out for the entire season, and Anthony Davis has his own injury problems and trade rumors surrounding his name, meaning that they can't safely move on from Gafford. He seemed like someone that Dallas should consider moving to better balance their roster, but the possibility of that happening is now looking more slim.

Mavs fans are disappointed, but not surprised, with the Lively II news, as he has been in and out of the lineup for most of his career. Lively II's ankle sprain from last season turned out to be a stress fracture, and the Mavs' medical staff was under a lot of heat for that. It's safe to say that Lively II also hasn't progressed much since then, and it's time to think about which direction the Mavs want to go.

Lively II's injury may force Dallas to keep Gafford out of trade talks

This also impacts Anthony Davis, as the 10-time All-Star has been at the center of trade talks all week. The Mavs have their weapons at center, but Jason Kidd has barely been able to see them take the court together. It's just a matter of where Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley will want to go with this news moving forward, but now, there's a clear picture of what should happen.

This might be a blessing in disguise. With Davis and Lively II suffering multiple injuries in the past two seasons, Gafford is really the only one staying on the court, at least more than his other two teammates. Trading Gafford would've been a short-term disaster, and it's better to know about the status of Lively II now than later.

If the Mavs were to trade away Gafford, they would've been stuck in a disaster with Dwight Powell as their big man behind Davis. They already had a nightmare last season playing musical chairs at the five position. Numerous guys like Kylor Kelley and Kai Jones had to help out the Mavs while their other bigs were down.

The Mavs also have Davis to think about, as now the Mavs need all the depth possible at the five position. It's one thing if the Mavs want to trade Davis, but they definitely need another big man in return.

Trading Gafford wouldn't make any sense, at least for right now. Even though fans have been wanting Kidd to unleash Lively II, you have to reward your guys for staying on the court. Gafford has done everything the Mavs' coaches have asked from him since arriving in Dallas in 2024. He's been a beast in the paint, quietly turning into one of the strongest and most fierce centers in the NBA.

Fans who kept up with Gafford remember him almost breaking one of the craziest NBA records, which was Wilt Chamberlain's streak of consecutive field goals made without a miss. It was one of the most impossible records in the game, and Gafford almost breaking that was a great first impression of his tenure in Dallas.

Keeping Gafford wouldn't be the end of the world at all. The Mavs would be in great hands. After all, they need some response for Lively II being injured, and that shouldn't be Powell or Moussa Cisse.

The season isn't over yet, and keeping Gafford is one of their only hopes to ensure their frontcourt remains strong with Lively II sidelined.