Mavs, Wizards Nearing Trade Featuring Daniel Gafford Before Deadline
NEW YORK CITY — The Dallas Mavericks are nearing a trade agreement with the Washington Wizards to acquire center Daniel Gafford, adding frontcourt depth behind rookie center Dereck Lively II. The team has been motivated to upgrade the roster around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Mavs and Wizards are nearing a deal featuring Gafford. Dallas would send out Richaun Holmes and draft compensation.
"The Washington Wizards are nearing a deal to send Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks for Richaun Holmes and draft compensation, sources tell ESPN," Wojnarowski wrote.
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
A source tells DallasBasketball.com that Dallas is still working on the particular draft compensation to finalize the trade agreement with the Wizards.
Gafford averaged 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 45 games with the Wizards this season. He's shooting 69.2 percent from the floor and 70.6 percent on free throws, continuing to be one of the NBA's most efficient play-finishing bigs and impactful shot blockers.
The Mavs have dealt with no shortage of injuries this season, with the center position being frequently impacted. With Gafford in the fold, the Mavs would be better insulated when injuries occur for the season's stretch run, particularly if Lively, who is dealing with a broken nose, has to miss time.
When multiple bigs were injured for the Mavs on the same night, there were times when Dallas was playing small with Grant Williams at the five despite having Richaun Holmes on the bench. The Mavs did not view Holmes as a reliable enough option.
The Mavs are set to face the New York Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden without Lively available. However, their opponent deals with significant injuries to key players and has been active in dealmaking before the deadline, including acquiring players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
