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Jonathan Kuminga #1 of the Golden State Warriors hugs a Golden State Warriors security guard before their game against the New York Knicks at Chase Center on January 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks have reportedly had “exploratory discussions” about athletic center Daniel Gafford being the key piece in a potential Jonathan Kuminga trade.
According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, the Warriors would love to land Gafford as they scour the market for athletic bigs and frontcourt upgrades by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
“Daniel Gafford is a trade target to monitor for the Warriors,” Sidery wrote on Friday.
“With Golden State actively shopping Jonathan Kuminga, and Dallas showing interest, Gafford has come up in exploratory discussions. Gafford would fill a hole for Golden State as an athletic big with defensive prowess.”
Daniel Gafford is a trade target to monitor for the Warriors.
With Golden State actively shopping Jonathan Kuminga, and Dallas showing interest, Gafford has come up in exploratory discussions.
Gafford would fill a hole for Golden State as an athletic big with defensive prowess.
Warriors Seeking Athletic Bigs
As has been widely reported, the Warriors are seeking frontcourt upgrades, with the intention to allow Draymond Green to return to his natural position of Power Forward. Besides Gafford, the Brooklyn Nets‘ Nic Claxton and the Portland Trail Blazers‘ Robert Williams III have been earmarked as other Warriors trade targets.
Green has been forced to play a lot of center due to Quinten Post’s inexperience and Al Horford’s injury issues, as the Warriors have been routinely outrebounded and physically dominated on the interior through the first 41 games of the season. Steve Kerr’s team ranks 21st in rebounds per game (43.2), 21st in blocked shots (4.1) and 15th in the league in opponent paint points allowed (50.8).
On the other end of the floor, they rank dead-last in paint points scored (42.8). Clearly, the Warriors need some size and athleticism on the front court to help Green.
Mavericks: Kuminga Trade Suitor
Gafford is having a relatively down year, averaging 13.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks PER 36 minutes, numbers that mark a huge drop off from the last few years. In fairness, he was forced to share frontcourt duties for the Mavericks alongside Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II before they went down with injuries.
Yet, the Warriors reportedly view him as an intriguing piece in their system due to his ability to be a rim runner, lob threat and defensive anchor. Gafford, of course, was the starting center of the Mavericks team that made a run to the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Gafford to Warriors buzz will only heighten amid reports that the Mavericks have joined the Sacramento Kings as the most aggressive suitor for Kuminga.
“The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams that have shown interest in Kuminga as an intriguing part of their rebuild, league sources said, but several other teams are also in the mix because of his flexible contract structure,” ESPN reported this week, while highlighting the 2026-27 Team Option in Kuminga’s contract.
Daniel Gafford has a cap-friendly, three-year, $54M extension that kicks in next season. As such, he’s not a huge risk for the Warriors, who reportedly prefer expiring deals in a potential Jonthan Kuminga trade instead of taking on long-term money.
“League sources said the Warriors have been prioritizing expiring contracts in return for Kuminga. They’ve declined the idea of taking back long-term contracts unless they view it as no-brainer positive value.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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