Trade rumors centered on possible starting power-forward upgrades for the Dallas Mavericks, namely Pascal Siakam before to his trade to the Indiana Pacers, Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers, or Dorian Finney-Smith, a former Mavs fan favorite and current Brooklyn Nets player. But Dallas also needs a better backup center, ideally one with a comparable game to rookie wonder Dereck Lively II, who is only 19 years old. The Action Network’s Matt Moore said that the Mavs are keeping an eye on Daniel Gafford of the Washington Wizards in advance of the trade deadline on February 8.
“The Mavs are another team looking for small forwards, with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reporting they’re interested in Grant, Andrew Wiggins, PJ Washington, and Dorian Finney-Smith,” writes Moore. “The most desirable asset they’re ready to sell with, Tim Hardaway Jr., still has a small market. Daniel Gafford is reportedly attracting interest from the Mavs as well because they need another big man.” With an average of 10.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 26.1 minutes per game while shooting 68.5 percent overall, Gafford could be Lively’s ideal backup center. In 25.4 minutes a game, Lively averages 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 73.5 percent from the field. If both big men played 24 minutes apiece, the Mavs would be firmly established as the starting center for the foreseeable future. Could the Mavs effectively kill two birds with one stone by acquiring their starting power forward and backup center in the same deal, considering that they were also interested in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma during his free agency and that they have been linked to him once more in trade rumors? This is how we envision a possible agreement to look. Mavs acquire Daniel Gafford and Kyle Kuzma. Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Richaun Holmes are awarded to the Wizards. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reports that the Wizards are “skeptical” that another team will match their asking price for Kuzma, but they are looking for “two first-round picks or equivalent value” in any possible trade. League sources estimate that Kuzma’s current contract is comparable to two first-round selections or of similar value, according to Vecenie I doubt any other club will pay that amount, so before February, we’ll see if the Wizards have any wiggle room or if the market shifts significantly.
When Kuzma was asked what he thought of the Mavs this season during a Q&A on X, the former name of Twitter, on December 5, he responded, “[One] player away.” Lively will also be beneficial. It begs the question of whether Kuzma could see himself as the final component the Mavs need. The versatile player is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, including 34.6 percent from deep. In 2020, the Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and the dynamic forward won a title together. Given that Josh Green was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2020 draft and O-Max Prosper was the No. 24 pick in the 2023 draft, dealing Green and Prosper should theoretically be considered the Mavs equivalent of trading two first-round picks. It remains to be seen if Hardaway, a Sixth Man of the Year contender, and that would be sufficient for the Wizards to give up both Kuzma and Gafford. In any case, the Mavs should investigate this intriguing prospect over the coming weeks.
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