Mavericks stuck in brutal trade trap with deadline closing in

Daniel Gafford is battling valiantly for the Dallas Mavericks this season, but it may not be enough for Dallas to find a trade partner for him. Gafford has re-aggravated a right ankle sprain from training camp countless times, often leaving games and attempting to come back, then maybe missing a few games, only for the cycle to repeat itself.

Gafford has had his least productive season in the league since his sophomore season this year, and a huge part of that is due to him playing hobbled in nearly every game this year, even if some of it could be attributed to not having an elite pick-and-roll distributor like Luka Doncic around anymore. In Dallas' final game before the trade deadline on Tuesday night versus the Boston Celtics, Gafford left the game in the first half, but did return late in the third quarter.

He impressively fought through clear pain en route to a few tough finishes and put-back dunks, but this hasn't been the case most of the season when he's played through pain, as he's a player who relies heavily on verticality and lateral movement to be effective. Mavericks fans and analysts feel for Gafford in terms of what he's fought through, but that unfortunately won't do the Mavericks any favors in terms of finding a trade suitor for him.

Daniel Gafford's ankle injuries could scare teams away

The good news is that Gafford has recently been lauded as the most likely Maverick to be traded, and he ultimately finished the game versus Boston in what could potentially be his final game as a Maverick. However, some teams around the league have already addressed their big-man situation, such as the Boston Celtics, who traded for Nikola Vucevic earlier on Tuesday.

Tuesday's game against the Celtics could've been a dress rehearsal for Gafford had Boston not made that trade, but now Dallas will have to look elsewhere if they want to find a home for the 27-year-old center who was recently signed to a three-year $54 million contract extension this past summer.

While Gafford's playstyle and position definitely increase the chances of him re-aggravating his ankle, especially with how much he's banging around in the paint, there's definitely an argument to be made that Dallas should've managed his ankle injury better than they have. It's hard to be certain without being inside Dallas' training room, but it definitely feels like Gafford was rushed back from re-aggravating his ankle injury multiple times already.

Assuming Gafford passes a physical, there's still a decent chance the Mavericks can find a trade for him ahead of the 2 p.m. CST trade deadline this Thursday, but they may not get as much value as they posited when they signed him right under the amount that prevented him from having a six-month trade restriction back in July.

Gafford still has plenty of great ball left in his career if he can get fully healthy again, so it makes sense why a team would want to take a gamble on him still. However, Dallas can't be surprised if that team balks at Dallas' initial asking price due to the constant re-aggravation of Gafford's right ankle, as it's hard to see him getting fully healthy again this season unless he takes enough time for his ankle to regain full strength.