The NBA trade deadline is just over 24 hours away, and the Dallas Mavericks have yet to make a trade. There have been plenty of rumors swirling around them, but trades may be tough since they have an interim Co-GM set up with Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi after Nico Harrison was deservedly fired back in November.
Dallas has a lot of priorities in a trade, but the biggest are to clear future money, get back draft capital, and open a roster space (or two) to be able to sign Ryan Nembhard and/or Moussa Cisse to standard NBA contracts.
Despite all the rumors around Anthony Davis, a trade for him isn’t appearing likely. He makes too much money and gets injured too often, so the demand isn’t meeting where the Mavs would like to be. If he’s off the table, who would be the likeliest player to be traded?
READ MORE: Mavericks NBA Trade Deadline Tracker: Rumors, Targets, and Updates
Feb 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford (21) runs up the court during the second half against the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Daniel Gafford May Have Played His Last Game as a Maverick
There has been enough buzz around Daniel Gafford that a deal could happen in the next 24-plus hours, but his playing on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics may make it seem that it’s not as close as the Mavs would prefer.
Still, as many as six different teams have been reported to have interest in Gafford: the Celtics, Warriors, Raptors, Hawks, Pacers, and Hornets. The Boston Celtics are now likely off the table after they just made a trade to send Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic, helping solve their issues down low. But that still leaves 16.7% of the league to have shown interest in the center.
Indiana would make sense for both sides. They need a true rim-protecting center after Myles Turner departed in free agency last year, but with Tyrese Haliburton out for this season as he recovers from an Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, they could trade for Gafford and let him fully recover from this nagging ankle injury that keeps bothering him. They could send over a young player like Bennedict Mathurin, whose future with the teams remains uncertain.
Another sneaky player to watch is Dante Exum. He’s on a minimum salary but won’t play this year due to complications from a procedure done on his knee. He’d be the easiest contract to dump to another team, which could allow them to sign one of their talented two-way players.
READ MORE: Mavericks Rumored as Potential Landing Spot in Trade for Aging NBA Legend
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