Mavericks' Daniel Gafford trade looks like a steal as ex-big hits rock bottom

After it was recently confirmed that the Dallas Mavericks signed Daniel Gafford to a three-year $54 million contract extension, the Mavericks have officially nailed the Gafford signing by getting him on a deal that is somewhat team-friendly and one where he can still be traded with no time restrictions. With Dereck Lively II coming into training camp following surgery this summer, Gafford could very well be Dallas' starting center next season, and he's an integral part of Dallas' identity of size and rim protection.

While general manager Nico Harrison has whiffed on a few trades in the past, including a massive one with Luka Doncic, getting Gafford from the Washington Wizards in February of 2024 has proven to be one of his best deals to date. The defense and physicality Gafford and P.J. Washington added to Dallas at that trade deadline helped catapult the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and all Harrison had to give up to attain Gafford was Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick (ended up becoming Dillon Jones).

Jones is an intriguing young guard prospect, but he's far from a polished product and isn't flashing insane potential through one season in the league, even though he could blossom into a solid role player now that he has championship experience with the Oklahoma City Thunder before getting traded to the Wizards this summer. It will take Gafford continuing to play well and Jones not becoming an All-Star for the Mavericks to win on the long-term optics of this trade, but Dallas is certainly winning this deal as of right now, as it was announced that Holmes has been waived by the Wizards recently.

Holmes being waived by Wizards makes Dallas' Gafford trade sweeter

Holmes looked like the type of roll-cut big that could really be elevated alongside a miraculous playmaker in Doncic, but wear-and-tear from his time with the Sacramento Kings caught up to him during his Dallas tenure. The 31-year-old never quite looked like he had the same burst, physicality, or leaping ability compared to his Kings days, and he quickly emerged as a defensive liability through 23 games with the Mavericks.

During Holmes' time in Dallas, he averaged 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in just around 10 minutes per game, and he only saw marginal improvement in 31 games for the Wizards last season. It makes sense why the Wizards would waive Holmes as they continue to try and make room for their younger players, but the Mavericks also did a great job at getting off Holmes when they did, as he looked like he still had some gas in the tank upon arriving in Dallas.

The Mavericks wasted no time by turning into Holmes something valuable that could help them win immediately which was a huge win, even if it cost them a 2028 pick swap to send the Wizards the 2024 first rounder, and they got off Holmes right as it appears he was fizzling out of his prime.

While Holmes could still very well sign with another team in free agency and become an integral backup big man once again, getting waived by a team as bad as the Wizards project to be next season isn't an idealistic fate, and he's definitely on the fringes of the NBA with the league being as talented as it's ever been.