NBA Trade Rumors: Mavericks considering to trade $40,182,480 center to resolve defensive mismatch issues around Luka Doncic

It seems that the Dallas Mavericks have intentions of trading their starting center, Daniel Gafford. According to Christian Clark of The Athletic, Dallas is actively scouting for another perimeter defender to help Luka Doncic's defensive mismatch problems. Unfortunately for Gafford, it seems that he needs to be included in the trade package given his defensive prowess.

Gafford is one of the Mavericks' best rim protectors. Last season, he was traded from the Washington Wizards to Dallas and made an impact by averaging 1.9 blocks in 29 games. This season, he's averaging 1.4 bpg.

Daniel Gafford is currently in the second year of his three-year contract worth $40,182,480. With that said, he has a remainder of approximately $27.7 million, which should be significant enough to fetch a valuable perimeter defender. As of this writing, there are no reports on who exactly Dallas aims to pursue and which team they've talked to.

---

One-time NBA champion calls out Mavericks star for lack of defense

NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks - Source: Imagn

Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA. He earned the moniker previously held by LA Lakers legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson because of the spectacular plays he displays on the hardwood. Despite his consistent absence on the court this season, Doncic averages a solid 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals.

While his defensive numbers, particularly in steals, show that he's a good perimeter defender, some believe otherwise. One-time NBA champion Kendrick Perkins previously called out the Dallas Mavericks superstar. In a November 7 episode of "Road Trippin," the podcast of former NBA champions Channing Fyre and Richard Jefferson, Perkins called out Doncic's bad defense.

“We got to stop letting Luka [Doncic] off the hook, okay? Now, real talk—enough is enough, right? Like, do you know he's leading the league defensively with blow-bys?" Perkins said. "Do you know he's leading the league? Defensively, he has 43 of them—leading the league.

“He's not even putting forth the effort to go out there defensively," Perkins continued. "I'm not asking him to be Derrick White. No one is asking him to be Jrue Holiday. No one's asking him to be Andrew Wiggins. We're asking you to be a leader and put forth some effort and fix your body language.”

The Mavericks are aware of this issue, hence they plan to trade Daniel Gafford for another perimeter defender to help Luka Doncic.