Mavericks' 'interesting' Daniel Gafford trade dilemma has an obvious answer

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford has been in trade rumors all offseason, putting them in an "interesting dilemma," as Austin Veazy of Dallas Mavericks SI wrote. This dilemma is whether to trade or keep Gafford, and both sides have solid reasons.

Dallas could look to upgrade their backcourt by trading Gafford, as they have plenty of depth inside and limited help behind Kyrie Irving. He has been in trade rumors for multiple seasons now, and while he would be happy to remain with the Mavericks, he would also accept the reality in which they move on.

The Mavericks shouldn't trade Daniel Gafford yet

Despite Gafford being ready for whatever decision the Mavs make, there's a clear answer to this "dilemma." Dallas should keep him heading into next season, as he has a great chance to be the team's starting center on opening night.

If everyone were fully healthy, this likely wouldn't be the case. Dereck Lively II is the team's best center on paper, but injuries have derailed his career. He has played fewer than 100 games through the first three seasons of his career, and there's a chance he isn't healthy for the start of the season as he recovers from a December foot surgery.

Lively II's health is enough of a reason to hold onto Gafford for now, as Dallas' centers behind Lively II and Gafford aren't fully proven yet. Moussa Cisse is the only other true center on the roster, with Santi Aldama and Morez Johnson Jr. also having potential to play the five.

Dallas doesn't have enough depth to comfortably move on

While Cisse had a productive rookie season, he doesn't seem ready to be a regular starter just yet. His hustle, shot-blocking, and alley-oop finishing helped him earn a role last season, but his game is still raw, and his offensive game isn't polished yet.

This leaves Aldama and Johnson Jr. as the other two bigs, and an argument can be made that they're better as power forwards than centers.

The Mavericks' center rotation may not be as deep as it seems when looking at it through this lens, making Gafford even more valuable for a team looking to snap a multi-year playoff drought.

Mavs would be selling low if they traded him now

On top of the insurance Gafford provides, another case for keeping him is that they would be selling low if they moved on right now. Even though he had a strong end to the 2025-26 season, as he averaged 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 71.1 percent from the field in March, rival teams likely want to see much more from him before giving up valuable assets in a trade.

Last season as a whole was a down year for Gafford, as he averaged 9.5 points per game while shooting a career-low 65.5 percent from the field. His nagging ankle injury from training camp kept him from building much consistency, as he only played 55 games, and keeping him until at least the trade deadline could allow him to build more trade value.

There are reasons to keep and trade Gafford as the Mavs embark on a new era with Dusty May as their new head coach, but the reasons to hold onto him are much stronger for the time being. Dallas needs as much certainty as they can get behind Lively II ahead of his fourth season, and with Gafford thriving as both a backup and starter through his 2.5-year stint on the Mavericks, he is more than capable of holding down the fort if Lively II misses time early on.

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