Trade & FA 2024-25:

[Winter]

I think Gafford, as important as he was to the post-TDL turnaround, will be under some scrutiny this season to see just where his ceiling is. Consensus is that Lively has a bright future where you will see future articles listing him much higher in a "re-draft" fantasy. Gaff seemed to hit a wall on effectiveness sometimes. His game is strong, at the rim, but non-existent just one or two steps away, plus FTs are always an adventure. Defensively, he works well with the team, but an opposing 5 with more range will be a challenge. As will guarding down after switches.

Maybe he's invested enough to work on closing the gaps this summer and both he and DL will be bright spots next season. But the MBT will certainly be evaluating his long term fit and the associated compensation vs alternatives.

While I think all of this is true, I'm not sure we are appreciating what we have in these two centers. I just don't believe, based on what I've seen, that we can improve our center position much on the open market to any significant extent. 

It's entirely possible that Gafford's asking price may eventually be too much for us, but we are currently in possession of probably the best tandem of players for the Dallas Mavericks at any one position. It's truly a luxury considering where we were just over a year ago.