Jason Kidd's bold strategy could rescue beloved Maverick from becoming trade bait

As soon as the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, it was clear that they were prioritizing forming a big team. A massive one, quite honestly.

The Mavericks already had Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford holding down the paint, and adding Davis to that group gave them one of the best frontcourt rooms in the NBA. Now, after officially adding Cooper Flagg to the mix on June 25, the Mavs' frontcourt is becoming even more crowded, and Dallas could be forced to make a trade this offseason to fix that.

Mavs fans have speculated that Gafford could be the odd man out if Dallas decides to make a trade this summer, but recently, Jason Kidd talked about the Mavs' double-big strategy, and that could ultimately end up saving Gafford from getting traded elsewhere.

Kidd's double-big strategy could save Daniel Gafford's Mavs future

In a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan's K&C Masterpiece, Kidd spoke about Dallas using the double-big lineup moving forward and the advantages that it provides.

"I think everyone’s gonna start coming to visit your island," Kidd said when asked about the Mavs using two bigs together. "When you talk about being on an island by yourself because you have bigs have an opportunity in our league....We believe with the Mavs — we’re big...I think that ability to athletically have bigs that can guard smalls, when you look at certain teams in this league, like Cleveland. They’re big, but they’re athletic. So you can start to see teams are playing with two bigs, it gives you an advantage on both ends."

Kidd, like Nico Harrison, likes what he has seen from the Cleveland Cavaliers and their use of both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley together over the last few seasons, and it seems like he wants to run a similar system with Davis, Gafford, and Lively II. While Davis and Lively II fit Kidd's vision of having bigs who can defend on the perimeter, Gafford knows he must work hard in that area, and he will give the Mavs the depth they need at the center spot when Lively II needs a breather.

Considering Lively II and Davis' injury histories, Dallas should definitely prioritize keeping Gafford to provide the depth they need in the case that one of them gets hurt, and that seems to be their preference right now. Realistic or not, the Mavericks want to keep Gafford and Washington in Dallas, and Kidd's desire to dominate down low may end up being one of the factors that saves Gafford from being traded for a guard.

It's undeniable that Gafford was in trade rumors at one point last season, and with him being on an expiring contract next season, teams are going to be blowing up Harrison's line once again. Dallas can silence the potential trade chatter of the summer by signing him to an extension, and if their double-big strategy doesn't work as well as Kidd expects, they could explore trading Gafford at the deadline.

Gafford took exception to the trade rumors from last season, as he put together an unbelievably dominant stretch right afterwards, and we could see a similar motivation from him next season if his name comes up in rumors once again. Kidd's double-big strategy will only work if he has players off the bench that he can trust to sub in for Davis and Lively II, and his commitment to this philosophy could change everything for Gafford moving forward.