Newest Mavericks trade rumor confirms that fans' worst fear will come true

The last 72 hours and change have been a drastic difference for the Dallas Mavericks after all the tough questions they faced heading into their offseason before Monday's draft lottery. The Mavericks miraculously landed the No.1 overall pick and the chance to select Duke University prospect Cooper Flagg despite having just a 1.8 percent chance to land the top pick, and Flagg is one of the most gaudy prospects to roll through the NBA this century and Dallas' best projected prospect before the draft all-time.

There wasn't even nearly as much hype surrounding Luka Doncic when Dallas traded to get him with the third pick in 2018, even though Doncic became a superstar in Dallas before being dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers this past February. While there's a new face of the franchise heading to Dallas, Doncic is now the face of the Lakers, and it's bound to be absolute cinema every time he and Flagg face off against each other.

The Lakers are still missing a rim-running big to pair with Doncic, though, as Los Angeles's attempt to resolve this issue was rescinded due to Mark Williams failing a physical upon nearly being traded to the Lakers last deadline. Dallas has a huge hole at guard still with Kyrie Irving projected to miss a bulk of next season, though, so perhaps Dallas could consolidate one of their rim-running bigs to the Lakers to get guard depth, as Doncic already knows both Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford well.

Newest rumor confirms Mavericks could trade Daniel Gafford

If the Mavericks were to ship out any of their front-court pieces to the Lakers or any other team for a shot creator, though, it's without a doubt that trading Gafford would be the most optimal resolution to this issue, and recent rumors would confirm this. Per NBA reporter Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Gafford is a trade candidate for the Mavericks this summer due to a variety of factors.

Gafford is in the last year of a three-year $40 million deal this upcoming season, and he'll be extension-eligible for the Mavericks this summer. While Gafford was a quintessential part of Dallas' 2024 playoff run and had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing around the rim last season, he becomes largely expendable under the current construction of this roster once you add Flagg into the mix.

With Flagg in the frontcourt, the Mavericks could idealistically slide Anthony Davis to the five spot, and it's completely illogical to be paying two centers of both Gafford and Lively II's caliber if neither of them is starting. The Mavericks could also look to trade P.J. Washington this summer instead of either of the two bigs, but this could compromise the spacing on the roster tremendously, and a wing like Washington is too hot of a commodity in the modern NBA to supplement elsewhere, considering how deep the Mavericks are at the center position.

Given Lively II is only 21 years old, Gafford is likely the odd man out of Dallas' front-court, as he's going to want big money extension wise and Dallas would be forced to try and find a home for him before the deadline if they take him into this season, which could prompt an uncomfortable scenario. Dallas won't be able to pay their entire frontcourt forever with Lively II coming up on his second contract in the next few seasons, and Gafford could still net them a great shot creator back in a potential deal.

Obviously, Gafford has materialized into a fan-favorite here in Dallas, and he's one of the best two-way bigs in the entire association. However, the Mavericks are still a team that needs to do everything in their power to contend after trading away Doncic, even though they won the Flagg sweepstakes, and Gafford might have to be shipped away considering how clogged the current frontcourt is.