Mavericks rumors: How Daniel Gafford fits into NBA Draft trade plans

The Dallas Mavericks made headlines on Monday when it was announced that they would be hiring Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May to be their next head coach. The news comes just one day before the 2026 NBA Draft, where the Mavericks will have the number nine overall pick.

Recently, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel reported on how Mavericks center Daniel Gafford factors into Dallas’ plans for draft day.

“Over the last hour since the Dusty May news, Michigan’s Aday Mara has suddenly emerged as a very real candidate for the Mavs with the No. 9 pick in tomorrow’s draft, sources told @ClutchPoints. Dallas is shopping Daniel Gafford to try to move up from #30 to top 20 in the draft,” reported Siegel on X, formerly Twitter.

May indeed coached Mara to a national championship win this past season with the Wolverines, so it certainly makes sense that he’d be on Dallas’ radar heading into the draft. Mara had a strong performance at the combine, with his combination of size and quickness enticing NBA scouts. Meanwhile, trading Gafford to move up with their other first-round pick would give Dallas another premium opportunity to add more strong young talent around Cooper Flagg.

The possible addition of Mara, combined with the presence of Dereck Lively II, would render Gafford seemingly obsolete in Dallas’ frontcourt rotation, although plenty of other teams around the league would love to have the combination of offensive rebounding and interior presence that Gafford brings to the table.

Overall, it could be a very busy next 24 hours for the Mavericks. The NBA Draft is slated to get underway on Tuesday evening in Brooklyn.

The post Mavericks rumors: How Daniel Gafford fits into NBA Draft trade plans appeared first on ClutchPoints.