The Dallas Mavericks muddied up all projections on their frontcourt on Monday night when it was announced Daniel Gafford had re-signed with the franchise on a three-year, $60 million extension. With Duke Blue Devils basketball star Cooper Flagg set to be taken No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA draft, there now appears to be too many players with too few minutes to go around.
Is an Anthony Davis trade the next step?
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn doesn’t believe in Davis playing the power forward position next to Gafford and, presumably, on the wing, Flagg.
Quinn also shared worries about the Mavs’ books and the rising price of their roster.
“I probably would’ve traded Gafford. Even in their win-now construction, they’re just way too big, and I’m pretty adamantly against this whole ‘Anthony Davis, full time power forward’ thing. That team is getting really expensive really quickly,” Quinn wrote.
Harrison getting a strong return in a Davis trade can help erase the sting of only landing one future first-round pick in the Luka Doncic trade. It would also unclog the roster of a high-priced salary for an aging low-usage player.
The usage isn’t by choice. Davis’s injury history has wiped away several seasons' worth of games over the years.
Perhaps the Mavs may look to move off Dereck Lively II and/or P.J. Washington to clear up the log jam.
From a functional perspective, mainly in focusing on building around Flagg, Davis feels like the odd man out with Gafford now untradeable this offseason.