#daniel-gafford

#daniel-gafford

Mavs governor Patrick Dumont has continued to emphasize internally that he does not feel pressure to trade Davis before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, sources said. The Mavs have been exploring the market for the 32-year-old Davis since former general manger Nico Harrison was fired in early November, a decision Dumont made in large part due to the fan backlash from last year's trade that sent perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by Davis.

While Gafford could be a useful addition to Boston's frontcourt, Stevens and his staff will have their work cut out for them when it comes to pulling off a trade with Dallas. The asking price for Gafford would presumably lower than the cost to pry Zubac out of Los Angeles. But, Dallas also can't take much money back in a trade with Boston due to being hard-capped at the second apron of the NBA's current luxury-tax structure.

Gafford missed the final two months of the Mavs' injury-ravaged 2024-25 season after suffering a Grade 3 sprain of the MCL in his right knee on Feb. 10. Since arriving in Dallas before the 2023 trade deadline, Gafford has averaged 11.9 points on 72.7% shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while splitting the starting center role with Dereck Lively II. He signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension this summer.