Summary:
- Daniel Gafford is signing a three-year, $54 million extension to stay with the Dallas Mavericks through 2029.
- Gafford posted career-best numbers last season, shooting 70.2% from the field.
- The Mavs are rebuilding around Gafford, Anthony Davis, and top draft pick Cooper Flagg.
The Dallas Mavericks are locking in their guy. According to multiple reports, the NBA team is finalizing a three-year, $54 million extension with Daniel Gafford, keeping the center in Dallas through the 2028–29 season.
The Mavericks are clearly betting on Gafford after he really came into his own following the trade from Washington last year.
In his first full season with Dallas, the 26-year-old from Arkansas put up career-best numbers, averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, and shooting an impressive 70.2% from the field, all while playing just over 21 minutes a game.
Gafford has quietly become a reliable part of the Mavericks’ frontcourt, earning respect from the coaches and management alike for his solid play on both ends.
He’s about to start the last year of the three-year, $40 million deal he signed with Washington, making roughly $14.4 million next season.
However, the Mavericks are not willing to wait, so they’re making it clear he’s part of their long-term plans.
Now, he’s being rewarded early, and handsomely, by a Mavericks team looking to reshape itself after a difficult year.
Though Gafford hasn’t necessarily been the headline name on Dallas’ roster, his consistency and efficiency have been crucial.
That rings even truer now with all the changes happening in Dallas’ frontcourt. The Mavericks shocked the league when they traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, a bold move that marked a clear shift in the team’s direction.
Alongside Davis and promising young center Dereck Lively, Gafford forms part of a new-look frontcourt that could anchor Dallas for years to come.
However, the overhaul doesn’t stop there, as the Mavericks hold the No. 1 pick in this week’s NBA Draft and are widely expected to select Cooper Flagg, the much-hyped freshman phenom out of Duke.
Last season didn’t go as planned, as the team finished 39-43 and missed the playoffs, clearly struggling after Dončić left. Fans were pretty frustrated, and you could hear calls to fire GM Nico Harrison all over social media.
Nonetheless, with Gafford extended, Flagg on the way, Davis in the mix, and Kyrie Irving set to return from an ACL injury later this season, the Mavericks suddenly look like a team with direction.
A few months ago, it felt like Dallas was falling apart. Now, they might be quietly putting something special together ahead of the new basketball season, get the best odds with US Sportsbooks right here.
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