The last several weeks have been very difficult for the Dallas Mavericks, and the hits just keep on coming.
After losing Luka Doncic in the biggest trade of this generation, multiple injuries have struck the team.
On Thursday, Shams Charania reported that Daniel Gafford has sustained a Grade 3 MCL sprain and will miss at least six weeks of play.
That means the Mavericks will be without Gafford, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II for “significant stretches of the second half of the season.”
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford has sustained a Grade 3 right MCL sprain and will miss at least 6 weeks, sources tell me and @espn_macmahon. Gafford, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II now expected to be out significant stretches of the second half of the season. pic.twitter.com/FJxd2xK9NY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 14, 2025
This injury to the 6-foot-10 Gafford could not come at a worse time.
The center is averaging 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, shooting 69.9 percent from the field and playing a pivotal role in the team’s frontcourt.
Losing Gafford would be tough at any time, but it’s even harder right now because Davis and Lively are also gone.
And none of these stars are set to return any time soon, which means the Mavericks will need a long-term plan to work on defense.
The Mavericks went all the way to the NBA Finals last season and there was hope they could do it again in 2024-25.
But the Doncic trade and these injuries put their future in serious doubt.
Dallas is currently the eighth team in the West with a 30-26 record.
They now get some time off because of the All-Star break, but then it’ll be back to work and the Mavericks will be pushing forward without their centers.
What will their record be a week or two after the break and which talented big man will be the first to return?
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