Mavericks reportedly reach 3-year, $54 million deal with center Daniel Gafford
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Mavericks reportedly reach 3-year, $54 million deal with center Daniel Gafford
Daniel Gafford is set to sign a three-year, $54 million contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks. The deal will keep him in Dallas through the 2028-29 season. He is coming off a career season in Dallas, where he averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game. The Mavericks also have the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft this week.
Gafford and the Mavericks intend to sign a three-year, $54 million contract extension in the coming days, according to multiple reports. The deal will keep Gafford in Dallas through the 2028-29 campaign.
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Gafford is coming off a career season in Dallas, where he averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game. He shot 70.2% from the field, too. Last season was Gafford’s first full one with the Mavericks, who struck a deal for him with the Washington Wizards ahead of the deadline in 2024.
Gafford, who will turn 27 this fall, is entering the final year of a three-year, $40 million deal he first signed with the Wizards. He’s set to make about $14.4 million next season.
Though Gafford isn’t the Mavericks’ marquee center, he’s been a very solid piece for the team’s frontcourt — which has since been bolstered by the additions of Dereck Lively and Anthony Davis, who landed in Dallas as part of the stunning deal that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks also have the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft this week, where they’re expected to select former Duke star Cooper Flagg.
The Mavericks went 39-43 last season, and ended up missing the playoffs after struggling significantly following the Dončić trade. But with their new frontcourt solidified, Flagg coming in and star Kyrie Irving expected to make it back on the court at some point next season after his ACL injury, the Mavericks are still in a good position in the Western Conference. From there the team was just a few months ago in the wake of the trade that had fans gunning for general manager Nico Harrison’s job, that’s a pretty remarkable turnaround.
Report: Mavs C Daniel Gafford to sign 3-year, $60M extension
Daniel Gafford will sign a three-year contract extension worth close to $60 million, ESPN reports. The 26-year-old center will again team up with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II in the frontcourt. Gaffords’ agents worked with Dallas officials on the new deal, which runs through the 2028-29 season.
Other media outlets reported that Gafford’s deal will be worth $54 million.
In 2025-26, the 26-year-old Gafford is set to earn $14.4 million — per Spotrac — in the final year of a three-year, $40.2 million contract extension he signed in 2021 with the Washington Wizards.
According to ESPN, Gafford’s agents — Mike George and Shy Saee of Klutch Sports — worked with Dallas officials on the new deal, which runs through the 2028-29 season.
Gafford, who joined the Mavericks in a trade with the Wizards in February 2024 and helped Dallas reach the NBA Finals that spring, will again team up with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II in the frontcourt. That trio is expected to be joined by Duke star Cooper Flagg with Dallas holding the No. 1 pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
A second-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in the 2019 draft, Gafford is an impressive finisher, boasting the highest career field goal percentage (71 percent) in the NBA since he entered the league. In 2023-24, he led the NBA in field goal percentage at 72.5 percent.
In six seasons with the Bulls (2019-21), Wizards (2021-24) and Mavericks, Gafford has averaged 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game over 378 games (215 starts).
Mavericks reportedly reach three year, $54.7 million extension with Daniel Gafford
Daniel Gafford has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks. The deal is worth nearly $60 million, which is his maximum extension off his current deal. This extension, once signed (after July 6), would not preclude him from being traded. The Mavericks are going to be seeking a steep price to send him to Los Angeles or anywhere else. The L.A. Lakers have been linked with a move for the backup center.
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that “Gafford intends to sign a three-year contract extension worth nearly $60 million.” The reality is that Gafford’s maximum extension off his current deal is $54.7 million, which is likely what this is for (with some very generous rounding up, you can get to “near $60 million”). This is three years added to the $14.4 million already on the final year of his existing contract, and the deal will now run through the summer of 2029. There is no option on the final year of the deal, it’s a straight three years, reports Dallas-based writer Grant Afseth.
That’s a lot of money for a backup center, but Gafford is not an average backup. Last season he averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game and started 31 games for the Mavericks. He is a solid defender and scorer at the rim, but he does not space the floor — 69% of his shot attempts last season were in the restricted area, and he hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer for three seasons. Shooting that much at the rim has its advantages, Gafford shot 70.2% from the field last season.
After the NBA Draft, Dallas will have a packed frontcourt with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, Gafford and now Cooper Flagg.
Gafford’s name has come up as a possible trade target for teams needing a center, including the Los Angeles Lakers, where Gafford could pair with his old running partner Luka Doncic. This extension, once signed (after July 6), would not preclude him from being traded. However, the Mavericks are going to be seeking a steep price to send Gafford to Los Angeles or anywhere else.