The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA entering their Christmas Day matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow afternoon, with their most recent win coming over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas' 40-point third quarter helped push them over the top against this young Portland squad, and the play of Daniel Gafford was outstanding in this game. He asserted his will down low all game long, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, and one block, showing why Dallas made a move for him last year. He is able to have a big night off the bench at any time, and when he's playing with confidence, he is seemingly unstoppable in some matchups.
Dallas acquired Gafford in a trade with the Wizards last season right before the trade deadline, helping turn their season around, but he isn't the only Wizard who the Mavs had an eye on.
The Mavericks were heavily interested in trading for Kyle Kuzma, and he nearly was nearly traded to Dallas. Kuzma almost became a Maverick in a trade package that included Grant Williams and a first-round pick, but Kuzma didn't think that Dallas was a true contender, so he told the Wizards that he wanted to remain in Washington.
Mavericks aren't interested in trading for Kyle Kuzma
He would have become a Maverick if he approved the trade when the Wizards came to him about it, and now his chances of being traded to Dallas sound like a major thing of the past. Even though the Wizards are shopping Kuzma, the Mavericks are not interested (subscription required) according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
"There were some rival teams at Showcase wondering aloud whether the Mavericks, who are known to be exploring their options for potential frontcourt upgrades, might make another trade run at Kuzma this winter," Stein reported. "But such a scenario was strongly dismissed to me."
Kuzma had his shot to come play with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving last season, but now it's gone. Dallas doesn't seem interested in pursuing the 6-foot-9 forward now, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Dallas ended up trading for him last year.
This season, Kuzma is averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from downtown. His numbers have declined significantly since last season, and the Mavericks are much better off with the other moves they made last season instead of trading for Kuzma.
Dallas traded for P.J. Washington and Gafford to solidify their frontcourt instead, and both of these moves helped propel them to the NBA Finals. Their added defense and toughness to the Mavericks' starting unit was monumental, and they looked like a different team after that February 8 trade deadline.
Kuzma may have not been able to provide that same impact, and due to the recent rumors that indicate the Mavericks aren't interested in making another run at him, the world will never know what his fit would have looked like. It's undeniable that Dallas' offense would have likely taken a step up with Kuzma, but their defense wouldn't have been the same.
The Mavs will now look elsewhere when it comes to upgrading their frontcourt ahead of the trade deadline, and we'll have you covered with all the latest.