Daniel Gafford's untimely injury may force Mavericks into desperate roster move

On Monday afternoon, Dallas Mavericks fans were dealt the worst news possible amid the team's concerning losing streak.

It was reported that Kyrie Irving would miss a week or two with a bulging disk in his back, and now both of Dallas' superstars are out with different injuries as Luka Doncic went down with a calf strain on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The adversity just keeps on coming for the Mavs, and their nightmare injury situation got even worse against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

Daniel Gafford went down with a left ankle sprain in the second quarter when he was chasing down a loose ball and didn't return to the game. Mavericks fans took a small sigh of relief when he was heading to the locker room, as he was able to walk under his own power, but Jason Kidd's update after the game wasn't as promising.

It's time for Dallas to consider bringing back Jamarion Sharp

Kidd said that Gafford would probably "be out for some time," and this update doesn't reflect the same optimism that Mavericks fans had when they saw him walk off the floor without needing assistance. Dallas is now without their second-string center, and Gafford's injury (if it ends up being serious) could force the Mavericks into a desperate move to bolster their center depth.

During the preseason, the Mavericks had an open two-way roster spot, and there were several candidates as to who would secure it. While Jazian Gortman ended up taking this final two-way deal, center Jamarion Sharp was in the hunt for this spot as well, and he just happens to still be with the Texas Legends and is having a great season.

This season for the Legends, Sharp is anchoring Texas' defense as the starting big, and the Mavericks could definitely use him right now. They would have to waive one of their two-way guys (Gortman, Brandon Williams, or Kessler Edwards) in order to make Sharp a Maverick, but now may be the perfect time to do this if Nico Harrison has been considering this move at all.

If Gafford is out for significant time, the Mavericks will have to rely on Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell to play their backup center minutes. While Powell was solid against Memphis, Kleber's struggles have been mounting for some time now, and relying upon him to be one of your only backup fives would be a major risk, especially considering how many injuries he has suffered over the past few years. Dallas' center depth is running dangerously thin, and Sharp could give them a needed bump in this area.

Someone like Sharp would give Dallas some fresh legs, and his help-side rim protection and rebounding would be huge helps to the Mavericks. Sharp doesn't have the strength to effectively defend bigger-bodied centers in the NBA just yet, but considering that he is 7-foot-5 with a 7-foot-9 wingspan, his height and length would more than make up for it.

Right before the New Year, Sharp finished with eight blocks (six blocks in the first quarter alone) and 13 rebounds in a game for the Legends, and while the G League is an entirely different ballgame, the Mavericks could use Sharp as someone who could play in emergency situations (like they're in right now), and give Dallas a true center who can protect the rim and rebound at a high rate. Both Powell and Kleber aren't the type of bigs who are going to bring that type of impact (being a high-level rim protector and having great size), and a move to bring in Sharp would be beneficial for Dallas considering Lively II's injury history as well.

If the Mavericks were to waive one of their two-way players for Sharp, they'd be gaining the tallest player in the NBA to their team, and having another seven-footer on this team may be smart in the long run. As things stand, Lively II is the only seven-footer on the team (7-foot-1), and some more size in their center room might be just what they need to help alleviate some of the pressure off Lively II's shoulders during Gafford's absence.

Sharp already proved that he can at least compete at the NBA level as he had some bright moments for the Mavs during the preseason including six points, five rebounds, four blocks, and one steal in just 12 minutes against the Utah Jazz on October 10, and he displayed some skills that would be translatable to being able to play occasional minutes in the association.

He has impressive athleticism for his size, and his presence alone would affect how teams decide to attack Dallas. Sharp's length allows him to block shots that nearly no one else in the league would be able to get to, and his energy off the bench could give the Mavericks a new breath of fresh air amid this stretch in which no one seems to be able to stay healthy.

His athleticism and size could also help turn him into a consistent lob threat for the Mavericks, and considering that Lively II and Gafford are the only two true lob threats on the team, adding one more might be a smart move as Luka Doncic has proved time and time again that he can get the most out of these types of players.