Shocking Anthony Davis blockbuster makes Mavericks' next trade crystal clear

The Dallas Mavericks trading Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards is not what anyone had in mind for a Wednesday blockbuster. With that being said, the Mavericks received a package including two first-round and three second-round picks on top of Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Marvin Bagley III, leaving a huge question of what the next move will be for Dallas.

The most obvious move for the Mavericks after acquiring a big man like Bagley III could be to offload Daniel Gafford and obtain even more assets.

It's unclear what the exact market is for Gafford, but ESPN hasn't been shy to list Dallas' big man as one of the top center assets available, and this may allow the Mavericks to make one more move during the trade deadline.

Daniel Gafford could be on the way out of Dallas next

One of Dallas' goals for this deadline was to get more financial flexibility, which will not only allow the team to dodge the second apron next summer, but also allow them to confidently build around Cooper Flagg's future. With that in mind, the Mavericks are still one move away from potentially reaching that goal.

Gafford has been a massive presence for the Mavericks since he arrived at the 2024 trade deadline, but due to several trades and roster shakeups, he simply doesn't fit what the Mavericks need in a big man. It's unclear if Gafford could be worth a first-rounder or even multiple second-round picks, but the Mavericks need to do everything in their power to explore a possible avenue of getting more draft picks this trade deadline.

With Dallas hopefully heading towards a clear tank-first mindset after the Davis trade, packaging Gafford and maybe one other name for more future assets or expiring contracts could clear up a lot of future question marks for the Mavericks. Gafford could offer a ton of value for a team looking to acquire a quality backup big man at a relatively low cost due to his recent struggles and questionable injury history.

On the season, Gafford is averaging 8.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per outing, which are relatively low compared to his career averages. On a team that doesn't have a healthy Kyrie Irving or a starting-worthy pass-first type of guard, Gafford has struggled to make a name for himself.

Other players like Klay Thompson have been thrown around in trade conversations, which would give the Mavericks another route to clear up more roster space. With the sudden logjam at the center position and there still being a need for shooting around Flagg, Gafford is the clear candidate to be traded.

The Mavericks have hinted at possibly opening up multiple roster spots to sign Ryan Nembhard and even Moussa Cisse to standard NBA contracts, and trading Gafford may be one of the team's only routes to clearing more roster space. Dallas will have an interesting next 24 hours with the trade deadline still looming, but there may be another move on the horizon.