Mavericks should risk it all with a Daniel Gafford trade to achieve draft night glory

The Dallas Mavericks' offseason plans took a complete 180 at the beginning of last week when they won the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft. This was the best news Mavericks fans could have gotten after a season filled with heartbreaking moments, including Luka Doncic getting traded and Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL, and Flagg may only be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dallas' potential draft night moves.

Nico Harrison has proven multiple times that he isn't afraid to trade into the draft for players he wants, as he did this to select Olivier-Maxence Prosper in 2023 and Jaden Hardy in 2022, and he could have another trick up his sleeve for this time around on June 25 and 26. With Flagg set to join the Mavericks on a projected four-year, $62.7 million deal (around $13.8 million in his first year), this will put them over the second apron, and a trade must be made to give them some flexibility moving forward.

The Mavs trading Daniel Gafford on draft night may be the perfect way to create some financial leeway, as Flagg's addition to the lineup makes him expendable, and while it would be heartbreaking to see Gafford go, considering how great he has been for Dallas, it may be the best idea for their long-term future. It has already been rumored that Gafford could be on the move this summer, and when observing the Mavs' roster, it seems like he is the odd man out.

Financial pressure could force Mavericks to trade Daniel Gafford

If the Mavs don't plan on extending Gafford before the season begins, trading him to a team (like the Brooklyn Nets) with an excess of cap space for a first-round pick and potentially some second-round picks isn't an awful idea. Dallas will need the financial flexibility, and a first-round pick in this summer's draft will allow the Mavs to secure a point guard of the future who can grow alongside Flagg throughout the first few years of their career.

It's known that the Mavericks are looking for guard help this summer, and there's no better place to land a young backcourt player on a cost-controlled contract than the NBA Draft. There are plenty of guards that are projected to go outside of the lottery that could help the Mavericks right away, and considering that Flagg is the new face of the franchise, they need to stock up on young players to build around him once Anthony Davis and Irving are gone or retired.

If the Mavericks were to trade Gafford for a first-round pick in this summer's draft with the intent of drafting a new point guard to give them some depth while Irving recovers from his ACL tear, some good options include Walter Clayton Jr., Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Jase Richardson, or even Tyrese Proctor (if the pick is at the end of the first round or in the early second round). Someone like Clayton Jr. would give the Mavs big-time shotmaking and a steady hand in the clutch, while Demin from BYU would give them excellent playmaking and size.

This summer's draft is deep, and while none of the aforementioned players would likely make as big of an impact as Gafford right away, they would address a major area of need. The Mavs' frontcourt logjam can be used to their advantage by trading Gafford away for immediate guard help, and the unexpected addition of Flagg could force Dallas to make some moves they wouldn't have planned on making just a few weeks ago.

Trading a solidified starting-caliber big man for a rookie guard is a risk many Mavericks fans wouldn't be comfortable with, but it could just be the move they need to make to jumpstart the Flagg era while ensuring they don't lose Gafford for nothing next summer.