Mavericks' Daniel Gafford trade rumors get more complicated after Dereck Lively update

The Dallas Mavericks have been rumored to be shopping Daniel Gafford this summer, but the possibility of achieving this feat is going down given Dereck Lively II's recent injury update. Lively II has shed his walking boot, sure, but he hasn't progressed to any sort of mobile activity outside of walking when spotted at a recent Mavs Academy Hoop Camp, and this isn't an encouraging sign for him being ready for the start of the regular season.

If Dallas were to trade Gafford right now, then rookie big man Morez Johnson Jr. would probably be forced to assume most of Dallas' center minutes, unless the Mavericks are still interested in bringing back Marvin Bagley III.

Lively II's slow recovery could force Dallas to halt shopping Gafford

Regardless of how high one is on Johnson Jr. and his potential, it wouldn't be an easy ask for a rookie to take on such a heavy workload off the bat, and there's no timetable for how long Johnson Jr. would be in that position, given Lively II's timeline to return is nonexistent at the moment. With Lively II potentially missing a good chunk of next season as things currently stand, Dallas can't afford to solely rely on a rookie like Johnson Jr., and this may be what keeps Gafford in Dallas for the time being.

Even if Dallas does elect to bring back Bagley III, he isn't the same level rim protector as someone like Gafford and maybe even Johnson Jr., so Dallas' frontcourt prowess will be far more diminished if they were to trade Gafford while Lively II is still sitting on the sideline.

While it's admirable that Lively II wants to get his right foot fully healed so he doesn't have to keep dealing with the same injury, there's no denying that an elongated recovery process has multiple ripple effects for how the Mavericks go about navigating the trade market.

Dallas may need to use other trades/avenues to improve at this point

It's probably smarter for Dallas to shop P.J. Washington instead of Gafford because of Lively II's slow recovery from surgery, even though Washington is probably more valuable to Dallas' current infrastructure. It's extremely frustrating for Mavericks fans to see this dilemma take effect because a 22-year-old is constantly hurt, as Dallas probably would've already traded Gafford for a lucrative package had Lively II been healthier throughout his young career.

They may have even gone for a guard in the draft instead of trying to get extra insurance at big man by drafting Johnson Jr., but all Dallas can do to mitigate the issue at this point is try to re-sign Bagley III in free agency, or still try to shop Gafford with the caveat that they'd get another big man in return.

Lively II's injury woes have adversely affected Dallas' roster-building decisions going on two seasons now, and despite all the smoke that Dallas is shopping Gafford, it will be abundantly clear to Mavericks fans why Gafford is still on the roster at the start of training camp if that indeed ends up being the case.

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