On Tuesday morning, Dallas Mavericks fans were hit with some bad news, as it was reported that Dereck Lively II underwent foot surgery this offseason to fix bone spurs in his right foot. Lively II is already out of his walking boot, indicating that his recovery is going well and that he is trending in the right direction to be ready for training camp, but another injury for the young 7-footer just showed exactly why Dallas can't trade Daniel Gafford.
Gafford was in some trade rumors last season, and while these rumors ultimately died down by him putting together one of his best stretches as a Maverick, the rumblings slowly came back this offseason since the Mavs needed to add a stopgap guard to run the show as Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL. Dallas made it clear that they preferred not to trade Gafford this offseason, but after he signed a contract extension that narrowly avoided a trade restriction, fans speculated that the Mavs could explore moving him at some point over the next few months.
Even though Lively II could return to the floor before training camp, another lower-body injury isn't a great sign for him, and they clearly need to keep Gafford to have an insurance option behind Lively II if he does miss any sort of time next season.
Mavericks can't afford to trade Gafford after Lively II's injury
Over his first two seasons in the NBA, Lively II has played in 91 games, with several ankle injuries derailing his availability. While he has been incredible when he's on the floor, proving that he can be a future franchise cornerstone and elite rim protector, the risk would be too big to fully depend on Lively II without a solid backup big behind him.
He and Gafford have been an excellent one-two punch for the entire time they've played together, and giving up on that after only a season and a half together would be a bold move by Nico Harrison and company. On top of that, Anthony Davis has made his preference to play power forward clear, and with Gafford gone, he would end up playing much more center.
Jason Kidd's double-big vision would partially disappear if they were to trade Gafford, as they'd only be relying upon Lively II and Davis to hold down the fort. With Davis dealing with his fair share of injuries over the years, this would be a major risk, and it should be clear as to why the Mavs should keep Gafford out of trade talks, especially with Lively II just having foot surgery. Regardless of the severity.
Last season for Dallas, Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, and he quietly proved that he had improved just as much as anyone on the Mavericks last season. He looked extremely confident when scoring with his back to the basket, and while Dallas' pick-and-roll game slowed down after Luka Doncic was traded, he remained a force regardless of the circumstance.
Even though some fans may be pushing for a Gafford trade, as Dallas badly needs more playmaking, Lively II's newest injury further proves that they must keep Gafford to provide depth at the center spot. Fully trusting Lively II to be the Mavs' only strong option at center (outside of Davis) would be a dangerous tactic, and Mavs fans should be hoping that the team holds onto Gafford rather than trading him right after signing a contract extension at an incredible value.
