Daniel Gafford's rollercoaster year sets him up for a Mavericks bounce-back

Daniel Gafford had one of the toughest seasons of his career last year, as he dealt with repetitive ankle injuries and suffered due to the Dallas Mavericks' lack of competent shot creation and ball handling, but Gafford is poised for a bounce-back season.

After signing a three-year, $54.8 million contract extension last summer, Gafford is set to make roughly $17.3 million next season. Ever since he signed that extension, Mavericks fans and media members have been wondering whether he'd be a trade candidate for the Mavericks, as he signed barely below the threshold that still made his contract trade-eligible last season.

Daniel Gafford is locked in despite the trade rumors

This speculation has run late into this summer ahead of training camp, but Gafford has yet to be traded, and it seems unlikely it will happen before the season starts. After playing in the SwinCity League pro runs earlier this summer, Gafford made it clear he's indifferent to trade rumors at this point, as he's going to remain a consummate professional and put his best foot forward regardless of whether Dallas trades him.

This is the type of mentality of a true NBA pro, and this gives fans even more reason to believe Gafford is due for a bounce-back season. Even if he's not losing sleep over trade rumors, it's very likely he wants to send a loud message to Dallas' front office this season: that he's too valuable to be traded, or that he should be traded for a lucrative package should the opportunity present itself.

Gafford is in the middle of his prime, in all likelihood, as he'll turn 28 just before the season starts, and there's no doubt he wants to prove himself as an above-average starting center, whether he's with the Mavericks or someone else by the end of the season.

Gafford is poised to prove doubters wrong and have a bounce-back year

Of course, Gafford can't control his health, but being more durable will be a huge factor in how next season fares for him. He suited up in 55 games for the Mavericks last season, and without actually tracking it, he was practically banged up or nursing an ankle injury in more than half of those contests, oftentimes having to go back to the locker room to get his ankle checked.

Having gone through what Gafford went through last season, this adds even more fuel to the fire for him to have a career year. With Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, Gafford will get easier looks in the pick-and-roll with more spacing offensively, and there will be more space for him to thrive in seal-and-post-up scenarios, as well as when he's cleaning up on the offensive glass.

So long as he's healthy going into next season, his rim protection and lob-catching ability should take a leap as well, as his ankle injuries hampered his athleticism a great deal last season. Obviously, there's a lot of doubt regarding whether Gafford will be in Dallas long-term. However, with Dereck Lively II's health still being a question mark, Gafford projects as Dallas' starting center come opening night, and Mavericks fans should be excited for the fact that he's due for a monster season.

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