If the Golden State Warriors strike out on Anthony Davis this trade season, they’ll still have plenty of frontcourt targets at their disposal.
At the end of the day, the franchise must avoid settling for mediocrity by making no roster adjustments before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
In Sports Illustrated’s Joey Akeley’s opinion, the Dubs could benefit from parting ways with Buddy Hield and acquiring a 6-foot-10 Dallas Mavericks center.
“Klay Thompson has a year-and-a-half left on his contract, and now that the Dallas Mavericks are likely to purge their roster to rebuild around Cooper Flagg, Thompson is a prime trade deadline candidate,” Akeley wrote Wednesday.
“So in this construction (Thompson and Daniel Gafford to the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings, and Malik Monk Buddy Hield, and two future second-round draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks), they get Malik Monk, who would likely be easier to trade this offseason than Thompson, and Buddy Hield, who they can cut in the offseason to clear cap space.”
“But still, the Mavs might not feel incentivized enough, as Daniel Gafford has plenty of standalone value. So they get a bit of draft compensation from both teams to put them over the top.”
“Gafford would start at center for the Warriors. Thompson would come off the bench and give the Warriors much-needed shooting.”
Although Gafford hasn’t been as productive with the Mavericks this year, he’s still a reserve Dallas can trust to provide valuable minutes off the bench.
The Arkansas product is a sound pick-and-roll asset with good hands, a simplistic yet highly efficient low-post finisher, and an underappreciated shot blocker in the big leagues.
Gafford is contributing 8.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game with the Mavericks this year, shooting 63.2% from the field in 23 contests.
Would Gafford’s inability to expand his game to the perimeter be detrimental to the Dubs spacing-wise? Absolutely, but it would still be worthwhile for the franchise to pursue the high-motor 27-year-old big man.
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