For the Dallas Mavericks, the Offseason arrived much sooner than hoped for. What was expected to be a respite from a tumultuous season has been anything but for Dallas. After the unlikeliest of wins in the NBA Draft Lotto, the Mavs have unexpectedly drawn the media spot light despite an early end to their season. With the seemingly inevitable drafting of Cooper Flagg comes roster questions and an early start to the churning of the rumor mill.
Thoughts regarding P.J. Washington’s continued role on the team surfaced almost immediately after the Mavs found themselves in the driver’s seat for Flagg. Similarly, Daniel-Gafford-as-trade-bait speculation started to circulate as a result of the stacked front court the Mavs would have with Flagg in the mix. Adding fuel to the fire of Gafford’s potential departure in a trade were reports from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that Gafford has indicated he wants to be paid a salary in line with starting centers across the league.
Mind you, Gafford remains under contract through the 2025-2026 NBA Season (at just north of $14 million), so the timing of such a declaration is somewhat curious. Did Gafford surmise he would be dealt this offseason and decide he wanted a head start on what teams should expect when he becomes a free agent next year? Maybe he didn’t want to be dealt and figured this could scare off potential trade partners who would prefer not having a one-year rental that would bolt for more lucrative pastures next offseason. Perhaps the whole thing is entirely inaccurate.
The latest word is that Gafford has now addressed the rumors head-on. MFFL Nation has apparently dipped into Gafford’s Discord where he eloquently but clearly shut down the talk of his supposed salary requirements.
Daniel Gafford in his discord on the reports of him wanting starting center level money:
“Let us not dwell into the false social media post. Nothing on the post was said out of my mouth. I hate when they do this… A lot of false info is spread around this time of the season.… pic.twitter.com/Q1mJ4l8cXj
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) May 17, 2025
Comments like “false social media posts” and “a lot of false info[sic]” leave little question as to Gafford’s intentions. He is clearly making an effort to completely debunk the rumors as outright falsehoods. It would be remiss to assume that knowing what the situation apparently isn’t, is the same as knowing what the situation is. That said, it seems safe to say that Gafford is happy in Dallas and not especially focused on his next contract. Why else would he suggest “Rumors lead to tension in the workplace. Something I rather not have around my name” if he wasn’t specifically attempting to create a tension that would eventually net him a higher payday?
Time will tell how it all plays out, but for now it seems Gafford is content in Dallas and not looking to cause a stir that would see him land elsewhere any time soon. We’ll be covering a possible trade rumor involving Gafford here soon, but for now it’s nice to put some drama to bed. Gafford is an important piece to the Mavs and remains so despite Flagg coming to town. The two-headed monster he forms with Dereck Lively at the 5 gets awfully thin if he gets shipped!
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