Mavericks open offseason with shocking signing that Cooper Flagg will love

On Monday evening, the Dallas Mavericks silenced one of the biggest offseason questions just days before the 2025 NBA Draft.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavericks signed Daniel Gafford to a three-year contract extension worth around $60 million (multiple other reports indicate this deal is worth $54 million), and he will remain in Dallas for the next four seasons, as he was originally set to be on an expiring contract. Fans were originally skeptical about Gafford's return, as the addition of Cooper Flagg creates a logjam in the frontcourt, and it seemed like Gafford could be the odd man out, but this report silences that theory for now.

With Gafford being locked up for the extended future, Flagg is going to have an excellent running mate for years to come. Flagg is one of the best passers in this year's draft, and one of his specialties is going to complement Gafford beautifully.

Flagg and Gafford will quietly be a nasty duo for the Mavericks

Flagg loves throwing lob passes, and throwing down dunks after catching an alley-oop just happens to be one of Gafford's biggest strengths. Gafford is excellent at finishing above the rim, and with Flagg's passing, the lob chances between these two are going to be endless. Mavs fans saw how dominant Gafford can be as a dunker during the time he and Luka Doncic played together, and Gafford's return, combined with Flagg joining the mix, could help Dallas turn into "Lob City" once again.

Not to mention, Flagg is also a gifted ball handler, playmaker, and passer out of the pick and roll, and that is where Gafford thrives. Duke used Flagg as both a screener and ball handler in the pick and roll, and his undeniable chemistry with Khaman Maluach gave Mavs fans a precise look into how he will fit next to Gafford.

Flagg was great at reading the defense when getting downhill in different half-court sets or out of the pick and roll, and Maluach thrived in the dunker's spot due to Flagg's passing and his own verticality. Flagg loves helping his bigs get involved early and often, and with Gafford only being 26 years old, he has the potential to help them push for a title now while also being a piece of their long-term future next to Flagg.

The Mavericks are expected to allow Flagg to handle the ball early and often, and this should be great news for his assist numbers as well as Gafford's points. It remains to be seen how much Gafford and Flagg will actually play together, but ensuring that Flagg has a bunch of elite lob catchers around him to start his career is a great plan by Nico Harrison.

The first step of the Mavericks' rumored plan of trying to keep Gafford and P.J. Washington was completed by extending Gafford, and time will tell if they plan to keep Washington or not. The Mavericks must be strategic when rounding out their roster this summer, as they need point guard help badly to keep them afloat while Kyrie Irving is out.

Dallas signing Gafford to this extension was a bit of a shock considering the trade rumors from last season, combined with the team's surplus of frontcourt depth, and now the Mavericks have their starting big man from the 2024 NBA Finals locked up for the extended future.

While Gafford did sign an extension with the Mavericks, this doesn't mean that he is safe from being traded, and draft night will be very revealing when it comes to the Mavs' future plans with him. It has already been rumored that Dallas wants to trade back into the first round after drafting Flagg, and Gafford may end up being the perfect trade piece to push this type of deal across the finish line.