The Dallas Mavericks are not done reshaping their roster.
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported this week that the Mavericks are actively fielding offers on center Daniel Gafford. The report has been echoed by multiple outlets over the past several days, with Yahoo Sports and Heavy both confirming that Dallas made calls before the 2026 NBA Draft and continues to take incoming interest.
For Mavs fans, this hits different. Gafford is not just a center. He is a fan favorite. He was the guy who came over in a mid-season trade in 2024 and immediately gave Dallas the rim protection and lob threat they had been missing for years. He was a key piece of the Mavericks Finals run that summer.
The problem is the math no longer works.
Gafford signed a three-year, $54.4 million extension with Dallas in 2025. He is under team control through 2029. That is a good contract for a rotation center in most markets. But the Mavericks are pivoting into a full rebuild now that Luka Doncic is gone and Kyrie Irving is 33 with an expiring deal. Gafford at 27 is squarely in the wrong timeline bucket.
Last season, Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Solid numbers. Also a slight regression from his 2024-25 production. Teams evaluating him are probably discounting his value based on that dip plus the concerns about how he holds up as a full-time starter.
Dallas already tried to move Gafford ahead of the draft. They packaged him with the No. 30 pick in an effort to move up into the top 20. No takers. That failure tells you a lot. The market on Gafford right now is soft.
So what would it take to actually get a deal done? A few landing spots make sense.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a hole at the five and could offer Rui Hachimura and a first-round pick. The Miami Heat, fresh off adding Giannis Antetokounmpo, need frontcourt depth. The Charlotte Hornets have young assets and cap space. The Philadelphia 76ers have been looking for a backup center for years.
The most interesting fit is Atlanta. The Hawks just brought in Lu Dort and are still trying to build the right frontcourt. Atlanta could offer De’Andre Hunter and a second-round pick, which is probably the ballpark of what Dallas would actually accept at this point.
If a deal happens, expect it before the season starts. Dallas wants to enter training camp with clarity, and Gafford deserves to know where he stands before he shows up for a new coaching staff.
The Mavericks under Nico Harrison have been unpredictable and, frankly, hard to watch. But shopping Gafford at least makes internal sense. He does not fit the timeline. He does fit a contender. And Dallas needs picks like a family in a drought needs rain.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
