Ranking Dallas Mavericks contracts from bargain to nightmare

7. Daniel Gafford

As of late, Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford is showing why the Mavs gave up a first-round pick when they traded for him at the trade deadline.

This season for the Mavs, Gafford is averaging 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 76.6 percent from the floor. He has been Dallas' starting center over the last three games, and this could be a lineup that they roll with for the rest of the season.

As a starter, Gafford is averaging 15 points, 9.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting over 80 percent from the field. He has been a monster as a starter and is currently chasing Wilt Chamberlain's record of 35 consecutive made field goals without a miss.

Gafford is in year one of a three-year, $40 million deal, and that is outstanding value for a player of his caliber. He and Dereck Lively II are Dallas' center duo of the future, and fans should be excited about what they are seeing from Gafford.

One of the only ways that this contract could become bad is if Gafford can't play heavy minutes in the playoffs. We've seen Gafford ride the bench for games due to bad matchups, and having him on the bench during the most crucial part of the season is not ideal.

He just needs to improve a bit as a defender in space, and he'll be golden.