NBA Finals participant interested in trading for Mavericks veteran

The NBA trade season is nearly upon us. A lot of the people who signed contracts or extensions this offseason are eligible to be traded on December 15th, which opens up a lot of possibilities for trades.

One team that could be very busy in trade season is the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that they're open to trading a few veterans, including Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, and Daniel Gafford. NBA insider Jake Fischer then took it one step further and revealed a team that could be interested in one of those veterans.

“[Myles] Turner's old team in Indiana is expected to shop the in-season trade market for big men and likewise believed to hold interest in Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford as a potential pick-and-roll lob threat before Tyrese Haliburton's return from an Achilles tear next season.”

Gafford has been in and out of the lineup this season due to an ongoing ankle injury that he can't quite recover from. Hopefully, this week off helps with that, and he's able to bounce back full strength for a trade showcase. In the 15 games he's played this season, he's averaged 8.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.4 BPG. He signed a three-year, $54 million extension this offseason that won't kick in until next year, and it was the most he could sign for while still being trade eligible, which is why the rumors have persisted.

Nov 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford (21) dunks the ball past New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

What Could a Mavericks-Pacers Trade Look Like for Daniel Gafford?

The Mavericks are overloaded in the frontcourt, but neither team here has much space to operate under the first tax apron, and the Pacers don't really have any bad salaries. It's hard to imagine the Pacers bailing on Bennedict Mathurin in a trade for Daniel Gafford, but could there be an Obi Toppin for Gafford swap if the Pacers threw in a few second-round picks?

Ideally, the Mavericks would receive a first-round pick in return for Gafford, as they used a 2028 pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire a 2024 first-round pick, which they then sent to the Wizards in exchange for Gafford at the 2024 trade deadline. And since OKC is really good, that pick will likely be swapped and end up between 27 and 30. The chances of finding a rotation player in that range are slim.

Toppin wouldn't really help the logjam in the frontcourt, since he's best as a power forward, but there is a world where they reroute Toppin and Dante Exum to the Brooklyn Nets, get Terance Mann back in return (and probably an extra second-round pick or two), free up $1.2 million, which would also give them the space to sign Ryan Nembhard to a standard NBA contract. If the Mavericks could net 3 or 4 second-round picks from trading Gafford, that may not be the worst.

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