As the trade deadline approaches, we’re seen several teams pull the trigger on various trades. The Dallas Mavericks are looking for someone who can take the scoring load off of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The perfect fit for their team would’ve been Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards, but the Mavs went a different route.
Dallas traded their backup center Richard Holmes and the Thunder’s 2024 first-round pick to Washington for the Wizards’ starting center Daniel Gafford despite several attempts in acquiring the former champion at small forward.
Gafford is having his best year. He’s averaging 10.9 points, eight rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 69% from the field. His role is going to change a bit when coming to Dallas, but they will ask him to do a lot of the same things. They want him to be a solid rim protector for the secondary unit and he is more than capable. Having a backup center of this caliber takes a lot of pressure off the rookie Dereck Lively II.
Now the Mavericks didn’t get the player in the position they were originally looking for with the Washington trade, but they may have found one in another. Dallas is also sending forward Grant Williams, guard Seth Curry and a protected 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for forward P.J. Washington.
Washington is currently averaging 13.6 points per game on 29.2 minutes. Offensively, he’s a better option than Williams but they will desperately miss Williams’ defensive intensity.
Championship Contenders After the NBA Trade Deadline?
Dallas is all in on competing for a championship. Just two years ago, Luka was battling the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. These trades might not be enough to get them over the hump, but it does give them a better chance come playoffs.
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