Mavericks' rumored Daniel Gafford trade plan is a disaster waiting to happen

The Dallas Mavericks' most likely player to be moved in a trade this season has been Daniel Gafford, according to recent rumors, but getting rid of Gafford would leave Dallas with a massive hole down low that they wouldn't be able to come back from.

The Mavericks' three-headed monster of Gafford, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II hasn't been healthy at the same time for a single game this season, and Gafford has been the most reliable big in this group when it comes to availability. He has played in nine games despite missing the first five games of the year with an ankle sprain, and trading him would put immense pressure on Lively II and Davis to stay healthy.

Combined, Lively II and Davis have played just 10 games this season, and Dallas could find themselves in another frontcourt disaster if they moved Gafford ahead of the trade deadline. He has the best injury history of Dallas' center room, and things could get bad quickly if they trade him.

Trading Daniel Gafford would be extremely risky for the short-term

Last season, the Mavericks' injury situation was a disaster at the center position, as Davis, Lively II, and Gafford only played in three games altogether after Davis was traded to the Mavericks. All three players suffered serious injuries, and their once-hyped identity of dominating the paint and protecting the rim never got a chance to fully reveal itself.

This season has been more of the same, as Lively II suffered a knee sprain (but is back now) and Davis is out with a calf strain. Their former vision hasn't materialized, and their original plan of dominating with size and running double-big lineups may be scratched less than a year after it was put into action.

Dallas' frontcourt was running on fumes to end last season, as they had to sign Kylor Kelley, Moses Brown, and Kai Jones at different points to help them down low due to all of their injuries, and a similar approach is the last thing that they should want if they want to salvage the season.

If the Mavericks trade Gafford, players like Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell will likely have to see increased minutes (assuming Lively II and Davis miss time), and this doesn't seem like the most promising approach if they'd like to turn their season around.

If Dallas is all in on tanking and prioritizing draft positioning, trading Gafford would at least be acceptable. His contract is extremely tradeable, and any contender would love to have a starting-caliber big man that is on a team-friendly deal and excels on and off the court. They'd also likely be able to get some decent value back for him and better balance the roster.

But if they aren't, and they want to make a push for the playoffs, moving on from Gafford (assuming they keep Davis in this situation) would all but guarantee that they have some extreme challenges at center.

Relying upon Davis and Lively II to stay healthy is a plan that hasn't always worked out for Dallas in the past, and they'd be getting rid of their most stable option at the five. While Cisse has been great in his minutes recently, they'd be counting on a player on a two-way contract to hold down the fort and help them push for a playoff berth, and this may be out of the cards for him as a 23-year-old rookie.

Gafford's energy, leadership, paint defense, and finishing have helped make him a staple in Dallas, and trading him while also trying to make the playoffs doesn't seem like a combination that would work. If the Mavericks don't want to tank, Gafford is someone who must stick around to help them string together some wins.

If not, the Mavericks may find themselves in the middle of a predictable bidding war for their prized big man, and the frontcourt would suffer.