Teams Reportedly Calling Mavericks About Two Key Pieces

Dallas doesn't seem interested in breaking up their rotation yet

Nov 12, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford (21) in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have rebounded from a shaky start to the season to win eight of their last games, now sitting 5th in the Western Conference with a 13-8 record. They've dealt with injuries and illness but have managed to get through them recently. A big reason for their success is their center rotation of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

The two bigs have been interchangeable all season, rotating who's starting each game and each player providing 20-24 minutes of quality basketball. It's been a long time since the Mavericks have had a center rotation this good after years of not even having one quality center in the Luka Doncic era.

READ MORE: Mavericks Connected To Possible Jimmy Butler Trade

When a team has quality players coming off the bench, other teams usually call in to see if there's any move to be made. Such is the case for Dallas right now.

Michael Scatto of HoopsHype.com has reported, "Executives around the league have poked around to see whether Dallas would part with either center Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively, but that has been met with initial resistance for now."

Lively seems especially unlikely to be moved, as his skill set perfectly fits what the Mavericks want next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. He's in just his second season and will be on his cheaper rookie contract for two more seasons after this one.

Gafford is a little more likely to be moved just because of his salary of over $13 million per year. His larger salary could be added into a trade to get another star if one became available on the market.

Lively and Gafford have combined to average 21.5 PPG, 13.9 RPG, and 2.8 BPG this season while both shooting north of 70% from the floor. Not many teams are getting that kind of production out of their rim-protecting centers, and Dallas wants to keep their rotation that way for now.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Luka Doncic's Return Win Over Trail Blazers

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

• Mavericks Mute the Jazz, Avenge Earlier Loss, 106-94

• Warriors' Tribute Video For Mavericks' Klay Thompson

• Kyrie Irving's Future With Dallas Mavericks Clarified

• Dallas Mavericks Make History in Win Over Knicks