Grading every move the Dallas Mavericks made at the trade deadline

The Dallas Mavericks had an extremely eventful Thursday afternoon and evening as Dallas made two blockbuster trades with just hours remaining before the NBA's 2 p.m. CST trade deadline. Dallas also won a gritty matchup against the New York Knicks later that evening, so needless to say the vibes are high right now for the Mavericks.

In Dallas' first trade deadline deal they acquired Daniel Gafford for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first round pick (via Oklahoma City). Less than two hours later after the Gafford deal was first reported, Dallas traded for P.J. Washington in exchange for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and Dallas' 2027 first round pick.

Grading every move the Dallas Mavericks made at the trade deadline

Many Mavericks fans are excited that Dallas finally went all in with their current roster, but that's not to say that Dallas' moves have not been met with a certain level of pessimism from those in the national media. Dallas did relinquish some hefty assets despite what they ended up getting in return this trade deadline, but deciding whether or not Dallas made the right decisions in the end requires some deeper analysis of the moves that were made.

Here, we grade every single component of the trades that Dallas made this deadline in hopes that we can get a better idea as to whether or not Dallas aced this trade deadline.

7. Trading away Seth Curry

Seth Curry had not been performing at the same level he was at offensively the last few seasons for the Dallas Mavericks this year, but Curry also wasn't given an abundance of playing time to his credit. In 36 games for Dallas this season, Curry averaged 4.3 points points per game whilst shooting career lows in both field goal percentage (37.2 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (36.3 percent).

Curry only averaged 12.7 minutes per game for Dallas when he played, but he was kept out of Jason Kidd's main rotation for a majority of the season. Dallas has been ransacked by injuries all season, so there's an argument to be made that Dallas could have used Curry's influx of three-point shooting and offensive creation, particularly in games where Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic were out due to injury.

However, despite getting limited opportunities to play, Curry looked like a shell of the player we saw in seasons past with Dallas. There were games where Curry's dynamic shot-making off the catch was evident, but oftentimes he looked a step slow with the ball in his hands compared to his younger days and wasn't seeking his own offense when he had the ball near as much as Mavericks fans had grown accustomed to in previous stints with the organization.

With the recent ascension of Jaden Hardy, Curry's role on the Mavericks was becoming less and less important so Dallas did the right thing by using Curry's salary in the P.J. Washington trade to help facilitate the deal. However, it isn't the best look when an organization has traded a player twice when that player has signed a contract with that organization three times already throughout his career. Despite Dallas making the right decision in this instance, we can't give them a full A+ because of the optics of the situation.

6. Trading away Grant Williams

Grant Williams’ time in Dallas came to a very anticlimactic end. The fifth year forward was poised to take a leap in his overall game after signing with Dallas on a four-year $54 million contract this past offseason.

However, despite some flashes of looking like the player that Dallas signed-and-traded for as well as some hot shooting from distance to start the season, Williams ultimately did not bring the level of 3-and-D capability that Mavericks fans hoped for. Williams averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on 41.3/37.6/74.5  shooting splits in 47 games played for Dallas this season, but counting stats don’t tell the whole story in regard to how inconsistent Williams was for the Mavericks.

Williams grew to become an extremely streaky shooter in Dallas, as he’d occasionally have games where he shot the lights out from 3-point range, but also had plenty more games where he looked like a fringe NBA player on offense.

Williams’ stout body was helpful for the Mavericks defense throughout certain stretches to start the season, but having never played in a starting role before, we quickly saw Williams’ defense depreciate over time as he was often exploited for being too slow and heavy-footed against quicker offensive players as Dallas’ season progressed.

Williams was also labeled as an individual who "rubbed a lot of people the wrong way" in the Dallas organization per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, so it’s good that Dallas was able to move off of his contract before it depreciated in value even further. Dallas gets an A- for getting off of Williams’ contract when they did, but they don’t get a full A+ because they relinquished a first-round pick swap (2030) to San Antonio when they sign-an-traded for Williams.

5. Trading away 2027 first-round pick

The Mavericks most coveted asset heading into the trade deadline behind probably only Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, was their only deployable first round pick (2027). It was well known by Mavericks fans that that pick could be on the move heading into trade deadline day for Dallas, and it subsequently was moved to Charlotte when Dallas dealt for P.J. Washington.

Many would agree that Dallas paid a steep yet fair price for Washington, but Dallas' misfortunes in dealing their 2027 first to Charlotte go far beyond whether they paid a fair price for Washington or not. After Dallas lost Jalen Brunson in the summer of 2022, the Mavericks were forced to part with significant draft capital in their trade for Kyrie Irving as Dallas gave Brooklyn two second-round picks and one first-round pick in the trade for Irving.

This handicapped the Mavericks' ability to trade future first rounds picks significantly because of the Stepien Rule as well as the fact that Dallas is still recovering from picks sent to the New York Knicks from the Kristaps Porzingis deal that didn't work out.

Dallas is projected to have two available first round picks to trade this summer and they have some much more valuable contracts to trade with their new assets in Gafford and Washington if things don't work out for whatever reason.

However, the Mavericks were forced to mend past wounds by sending out their only current deployable first round pick and lots of their future draft capital that they've sent out the past two years land in seasons after Luka Doncic's current contract expires, so sending out the 2027 first round pick earns a D+ even though it was necessary to trade as a means to fix Dallas' roster.

4. Trading for P.J. Washington

The Mavericks got the archetype of the player that they most highly desired at the trade deadline by acquiring P.J. Washington. The 25-year-old forward has the physical tools to be an elite versatile defender, and he's shown many flashes of being able to create his own shot on all three levels offensively in his five-year career in Charlotte.

Washington averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 44.6/32.4/71.3 shooting splits in 44 games played for the Hornets this season, but has played a much more inconsistent role this season for the Hornets contrary to previous seasons. Washington only started 17 games for Charlotte this season and found himself in a precarious situation given Charlotte's depth on the wing.

Admittedly, Washington's defense hasn't lived up to the hype that it had coming into the NBA, as Washington boasts a 7-foot-2 wingspan and is an athletic 230 pounds. Washington has the capabilities to guard smaller wings and guards because of how athletic he is, but he still has room to improve with his one-on-one defense.

However, Washington is a great off-ball and help-side defender at the four, and he can immediately relieve a decent amount of pressure on the rim that Dereck Lively II gets because of how spry he is on his defensive rotations. This is also a move that Luka Doncic was reportedly excited about.

Washington uses his athletic tools well on offense as well, and he has an advanced offensive bag for someone his size in terms of his ability get to his desired spots on the floor. However, Washington's only issue is that he needs to be more consistent with his shot-creation and dribble-drive game, as those factors along with his shooting just need to be more consistent than they currently are.

Washington has the potential to be the elite two-way four that Dallas needs, and perhaps a change of scenery to a more competitive environment in Dallas will do wonders for his offensive and defensive consistency. As great of an addition as Washington is he wasn't the perfect player on the trade market for Dallas, but Nico Harrison still made a high-level move here so Dallas gets an A-.

3. Trade with Oklahoma City

In what was likely the most minor transaction that the Mavericks made on trade deadline day, the Mavericks swapped their 2028 first round pick with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a means to acquire a 2024 first round pick from Oklahoma City. The Mavericks subsequently used the first round pick that they acquired fro the Thunder to trade to Washington in the Daniel Gafford deal.

Keeping in mind that the Wizards were extremely hungry for a first-round pick, Dallas found a creative way to manufacture a first-round pick to get the Gafford deal done, as they otherwise wouldn't have had the assets to trade for both Gafford and Washington. However, the Mavericks do give up an unprotected pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2028, which is also beyond the timeline of Luka Doncic's current deal.

Projecting what is going to happen four years from now as far as the Mavericks are concerned is pointless, but given the franchise's inability to build a championship roster around Doncic this far into his career, there could be skepticism that Doncic may leave in 2026 or 2027 free agency if the Mavericks continue to fall short of competing for a title.

However loyal Doncic appears, no one knows how a superstar player is truly feeling about their situation. However, the Mavericks are doing as much as they can to appease Doncic with the trade deadline moves they made this season, and making this 2028 pick swap with the Thunder was a necessary component of that. Dallas assumes some risk with this move undoubtedly, but they could've gave up second-round picks or a young player to make this deal work instead, so they get a B+.

2. Trading away Richaun Holmes

Richaun Holmes' time in Dallas was short-lived despite Mavericks' minority owner Mark Cuban labeling Holmes the most underrated pickup of the summer after the Mavericks acquired Holmes along with the draft rights to Olivier-Maxence Prosper on the eve of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Holmes had his moments in Dallas, most notably when he notched a 16-point, 8-rebound effort against the Houston Rockets in a late December game. However, the 30-year-old big-man found himself out of the rotation for the most part in Dallas, barring instances where Dallas' big-man rotation was depleted by injuries or Dallas was facing off against a team with a lot of size down low.

Holmes looked like he had lost a step on both sides of the ball when he saw action for Dallas this year, but some of his effort seemed conducive to his minimized role on the team as well as the fact that he was playing in garbage time a decent amount of his minutes. Holmes was serviceable when he had his opportunities, but he wasn't an explosive enough rim protector nor rim runner to override the likes of Dereck Lively II and even Dwight Powell.

Holmes still has a player option for 2024-25 worth $12.87 million that he'll likely pickup this summer, so getting off of a player in Holmes who hasn't lived up to his contract whatsoever is certainly a win for Dallas at this trade deadline. We'll never know if Holmes could've been more explosive in Dallas if Jason Kidd delegated him more minutes, but his value league-wide was extremely low nonetheless and Dallas found a way to trade him in their acquisition of Gafford, so they get an A+ here.

1. Trading for Daniel Gafford

The Dallas Mavericks have been seeking Dereck Lively II assurance all season, and they finally get that in 25-year-old center Daniel Gafford. Gafford has posted averages of 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and one steal per game as well for the Washington Wizards this season in 45 games.

Lively II has obviously proved himself to be Dallas' center of the future through his rim protection and rim-rolling ability, but the 19-year-old rookie still falls victim to the occasional rookie mistake such as getting into foul trouble fast or being out of position on defense.

Lively II has also been in-and-out of the lineup for Dallas recently with a few distinct minor injuries, so adding Gafford is a huge addition to a Mavericks' roster that has seen very inconsitent play from their backup bigs in Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and Richaun Holmes.

Gafford is limited offensively just as Lively II is, but he's a great rim-roller whose skills will be accentuated in a Mavericks' offense that features dynamic ball handlers in Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, as well as potentially Spencer Dinwiddie. Gafford has taken a drastic leap as a rebounder this year as well by pulling down eight boards in only 26.5 minutes per game for the Wizards this season, so him and Washington should do wonders for Dallas' woes on the glass.

Gafford is extremely versatile on defense, as he has great length and athleticism despite only being 6-foot-10, as he's shown the ability to be both a great rim protector and a sound positional defender. Gafford can even guard some larger wings on the perimeter for Dallas on occasion because of how quick and coordinated he is for a center, so Dallas couldn't ask for a better backup big man.

Dallas' dream of playing two rim-running and shot-blocking centers fo 48 minutes can finally be achieved with the acquisition of Gafford. It seems unlikely that Gafford would be the type of player to create a rift in the organization because Lively II is starting in front of him despite some fans concerns.

Gafford is a great fit in Dallas, but he's only 25-years-old as aforementioned and would be the type of player that Dallas would want to start if they never drafted Lively II, so we'll monitor the situation to see if any conflict arise there. Regardless, Gafford is an A+ fit on paper if he buys into his role.

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