Mavericks have a clear trade to make after buying out Klay Thompson

The Dallas Mavericks have officially parted ways with Klay Thompson after reaching a buyout agreement with the 36-year-old sharpshooter, allowing him to hit free agency, where he will ultimately sign with the Miami Heat. Thompson's wish of being able to play for a contender will be granted, and the Mavericks now have a clear next move to explore to better balance the roster: trading Daniel Gafford for a solid point guard.

Mavericks don't have enough guard depth

As things stand now, Dallas' only point guards are Kyrie Irving, Sergio De Larrea, and Marcus Sasser. Irving hasn't played in an NBA game in over 500 days, De Larrea has never played in an NBA game, and Sasser averaged a career-low 12.0 minutes per game in his third season for the Detroit Pistons last season.

This is nowhere near enough depth at point guard to be a playoff team in the Western Conference, and the Mavericks have to make a move to get Irving some help. While De Larrea and Sasser are both promising young players that fans are excited about, neither player seems ready to back up one of the greatest point guards of this era.

Why Dallas should explore Gafford trades

This is where a Gafford trade comes into play, and now that the Mavs are down to 15 players on standard contracts, they should begin to explore one-for-one trades with Gafford. He has been in more trade rumors than anyone else on the current roster, and moving on from him for a guard makes sense.

After signing Moussa Cisse to a two-year deal earlier this offseason, Dallas has plenty of depth inside. Even if they trade Gafford, they still have Dereck Lively II, Cisse, Morez Johnson Jr., and Santi Aldama as players who can play the five. This is enough depth to remain competitive, and it will open up minutes for Johnson Jr. to develop and Lively II to solidify himself as the center of the future.

Gafford staying would give them insurance behind Lively II, but it would leave a logjam that is easily clearable by a trade. Moving on from Gafford makes sense for both sides, and with Dallas' deficiency at guard, trading him for an established point guard would be the most logical move.

This would clear their logjam inside while also giving Dusty May a trusted option to play behind Irving. The Mavericks don't own their first-round pick next year, meaning they have no incentive to be bad, and trading for another point guard would ensure that Irving isn't left out to dry.

It can be expected that Irving will likely sit out some games next season as he returns from an ACL tear that caused him to miss all of last season, and De Larrea and Sasser aren't starting-caliber players by any means.

The Mavericks' roster would be much more balanced if they traded Gafford for a guard, and while they would still be overloaded on the wing, their guard rotation would be much more respectable.

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