The Dallas Mavericks may have the perfect trade to acquire a guard fans have long been dreaming about. After what seemed like an uncomfortably quiet trade deadline, the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls lit the fuse all fans have been waiting for and sent center Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons.
There's no doubt that Chicago now has a plethora of guards, especially after acquiring the likes of Jaden Ivey from the Detroit Pistons, as well as Simons, and now fans are left questioning: How will the Bulls make rotational minutes for all of the guards they have?
An easy answer could be swapping Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford for Coby White, who has long been a trade target that Mavericks fans have salivated over.
Coby White to the Mavericks makes perfect sense after recent trades
To every fan's surprise, the Bulls have been one of the most active teams on the market, trading for Simons and Ivey as well as sending out Vucevic in the process. While guards have never been a strong suit of Chicago, the team may need to offload some guys to create minutes for Ivey and Simons, and their first target to ship off could be White.
The Mavericks and White have always been linked due to fans' constant wonder of how the former University of North Carolina guard would look in a Dallas uniform. Dallas officially showed interest in trading for White earlier this season, and the Mavericks make too much sense for him. Especially with the Bulls' sudden need for a lockdown center.
Until this past season, Gafford has been one of the league's best backup fives and arguably a top-25 center in the league despite not having a starting role. Due to injuries and just overall questionable play without a reliable guard tossing him lobs, Gafford has fallen out of favor with fans of the Mavericks.
With that being said, Gafford still has value around the league as one of the top available centers.
With the arrival of Ivey and now Simons, the Bulls have a sudden plethora of guards, which can only mean one thing for White. Either his minutes will be drastically reduced or his time as a Bull is quickly coming to an end, as he is on an expiring contract.
On the season, White is averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting at a 43.9 percent clip from the field. While there is no doubt that White is having a below-average shooting season, he still offers plenty of value for a Dallas team that is desperately searching for a guard who would fit alongside Cooper Flagg.
For Chicago, they would be getting a center they are already comfortable with, as he spent two seasons in a Chicago uniform before being traded. Not to mention, the Bulls are in desperate need of a center who can be a lob threat and defensive anchor, such as Gafford.
With the trade deadline only heating up from here on out, there will be plenty of moves that both the Bulls and Mavericks will be left to make. Considering how valuable both assets could be on different teams, an ultimate swap for White and Gafford makes perfect sense for both parties.