Gafford is a trade candidate to monitor should he not agree to an extension with Dallas. The 26-year-old center will want a pay raise, the Mavericks already have Davis on a max contract, and 21-year-old center Dereck Lively is a year away from being extension-eligible.
Source: HoopsHype
Source: HoopsHype
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Kerry Eggers @kerryeggers
Add Cooper Flagg to a @dallasmavs roster that will include Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Lively, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson & P.J. Washington & what do have?
An instant title contender.
Nico Harrison must have been sleeping in a bed of four-leaf clovers. – 12:07 PM
Add Cooper Flagg to a @dallasmavs roster that will include Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Lively, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson & P.J. Washington & what do have?
An instant title contender.
Nico Harrison must have been sleeping in a bed of four-leaf clovers. – 12:07 PM
More on this storyline
Three days after trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic, the Lakers orchestrated a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to land 7-footer Mark Williams, a tantalizing but injury-prone young center who was supposed to provide Doncic a vertical threat around the rim other than Jaxson Hayes. Williams was Doncic’s preferred lob partner out of a list of potential trade targets and told the team so, sources said, after Doncic had been so effective with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in Dallas. The deal was agreed upon the night before the trade deadline, a buzzer-beater by the Lakers’ front office after already successfully negotiating the Doncic deal and the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets in late December. Only Williams never suited up for L.A. He failed the team’s physical examination, and the Lakers “just couldn’t live with what they saw,” a source with knowledge of the subject told ESPN. -via ESPN / May 2, 2025
Mike Curtis: Daniel Gafford was asked if he would classify the season as a disappointment if it ended tonight: “We’re gonna save that question for whenever it ends because we don’t plan on losing tonight.” -via x.com / April 18, 2025
“Well, the beauty of Dallas is it is a passionate fan base,” Harrison said. “For us to reach our goals, we need that fan base. And to be honest with you, every trade I’ve made since I’ve been here has not been regarded as a good trade, and so sometimes it takes time. When I traded for Kyrie, it was met with a lot of skepticism and it was graded as a terrible trade and you didn’t see it right away, but eventually everyone agreed that that was a great trade. When I traded for [Gafford] and [Washington] again, it was like, ‘Oh, he gave up way too much. These guys aren’t going to help us.’ Now that trade, you saw the evidence a lot sooner. So I think a lot of times trades take a little bit of time. “But our philosophy, like I said, going forward is defense wins championships and we’re built on defense. And this trade cements us for that.” Did Harrison not believe that the core of last season’s Finals team, with Doncic as the centerpiece, could contend for a title? “I’ll say this again: Defense wins championships,” Harrison said. -via ESPN / April 15, 2025