The Dallas Mavericks have a big game coming up on Saturday, a game that’s sure to trigger some emotion as it’s Luka Doncic’s first game back at American Airlines Center this season, and only second overall since the trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. And the Mavericks are gearing up to have reinforcements in the form of Daniel Gafford’s return from injury, as per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.
Following Mavericks’ practice on Friday, head coach Jason Kidd all but confirmed that Daniel Gafford would be making his injury return against the Lakers.
“Gaff did shootaround. He did everything,” Kidd said. “He’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
Gafford has missed the last four games for the Mavericks, and five of the last six as he’s been dealing with an ankle injury. Despite that, Gafford’s name has been mentioned in recent weeks amid reported interest from other teams leading up to the NBA trade deadline.
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With all of the Mavericks’ big men in Gafford, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II all dealing with injuries, his return will be a much welcome addition to the team’s frontcourt rotation.
Gafford has appeared in 29 games this season, including 20 starts, at a little over 20 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 7.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots with splits of 62.9 percent shooting from the field and 76.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The No. 38 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Gafford has developed into a serviceable center in the league. Thus, it’s not surprising that given the Mavericks’ current state of affairs, he would be drawing potential trade interest. But considering the Mavericks’ frontcourt woes, it seems unlikely they would entertain trading him.