Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-10, 265 lbs |
| Birthplace: El Dorado, AR |
| Age: 28 |
| School: Arkansas |
| Experience: 7 |
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1:49Dallas Mavericks Plan in the Draft
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0:36Should the Mavericks Explore a Kyrie Irving Trade?
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1:57Best Prospect to Pair with Mavericks' Cooper Flagg
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0:58Highlights: Rockets at Mavericks (10/30)
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44:06Jon Rothstein's FINAL College Basketball Season Preview | ICBB
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47:48October 30- NFL Picks + College Football Bets + NBA Bets | Early Edge
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1:12Thunder Aiming to Overcome Early Injury Woes
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1:51Knicks Start Season 0-3: Time to Panic?
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1:46Should Bam Adebayo Be the Scapegoat for the Heat?
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0:45Highlights: Mavericks at Heat (10/26)
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8:11Why a Sweet 16 might not save Mark Pope's Kentucky job | EOCBB
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81:132026-27 SEC Season Preview, Predictions: Florida headlines what should be CBB's best league | EOCBB
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33:22John Calipari says he wants to do 15 years at Arkansas | EOCBB
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13:30Mark Pope will try something completely new with Kentucky's offense | EOCBB
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18:13Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu guarantee a Florida national title | EOCBB
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4:48Is Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje already Duke's best player? | EOCBB
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1:59Rockets Take Down Mavericks in NBA Preseason
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8:13Breaking News: Klay Thompson To Sign With Miami Heat
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1:40John Gonzalez' Top 5 Starting Fives in the NBA: No. 1 New York Knicks
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0:58Michigan's Repeat Bid Without Dusty May
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2026 Stats
| STATS |
MPG
Minutes Per Game
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PPG
Points Per Game
|
FG%
Field Goal Percentage
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RPG
Rebounds Per Game
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APG
Assists Per Game
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 23.3 | 8.5 | 70.0 | 7.0 | 2.5 |
Top Daniel Gafford News
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Drops 18 in Friday's win
Gafford amassed 18 points (6-7 FG, 6-9 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes during Friday's 116-111 victory over the Rockets.
The 18 points were a season high for Gafford, who continues to operate without much backup in the paint as Dereck Lively (foot) and Santi Aldama (knee) remain sidelined. Gafford has recorded exactly blocks in six straight games to begin the season, averaging 8.5 points, 7.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 0.8 steals in 23.3 minutes while shooting 70.0 percent from the floor.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Strong showing on glass in win
Gafford produced seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt), 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 120-96 victory over the Thunder.
The 11 boards led Dallas on the night, although Gafford didn't see enough offensive opportunities to produce his first double-double of the season. The 28-year-old center hasn't seen a significant increase in his workload to begin the season even with Dereck Lively (foot) and Santi Aldama (knee) still waiting to make their 2026-27 debuts, and in 22.4 minutes over five games Gafford is averaging 6.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 65.2 percent from the floor. Wednesday's three-pointer was also the first of his career, on his second ever attempt from beyond the arc -- the other came back in 2021-22 with the Wizards.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Makes brief trip to locker room
Gafford went to the locker room during the third quarter of Monday's game against the Heat due to an undisclosed injury, but he returned with 8:52 remaining in the quarter, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
Gafford looked to take a knee to the body on a Giannis Antetokounmpo dunk, and the big man was spotted going into the locker room right after. However, Gafford was able to return later in the quarter after getting checked out.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Fills box score in Saturday's loss
Gafford posted 12 points (6-9 FG), nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks over 23 minutes during Saturday's 122-106 loss to the Spurs.
Gafford scored eight of his 12 points in the first half and finished tied for the second-most points on the Mavericks behind rookie first-rounder Sergio de Larrea (21 points). Gafford's five combined blocks and steals were his most in a regular-season game since Feb. 5 of the 2025-26 campaign against San Antonio (seven), and he was one rebound shy from logging his first double-double of the season.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Swats two shots in loss
Gafford totaled two points (0-1 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal across 22 minutes during Wednesday's 128-110 loss to the Rockets.
Gafford didn't offer much on the offensive end in Dallas' season-opening loss. However, the big man recorded a game-high mark in blocks while chipping in a steal. He figures to operate as Dallas' starting center for now, though the eventual returns of Santi Aldama (knee) and Dereck Lively (foot) will likely eat into Gafford's playing time.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Not listed on injury report
Gafford (rest) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Friday's preseason finale with the Hawks.
Gafford sat out Wednesday's exhibition for rest, but he'll be back in action for Friday's final exhibition before the regular season. Over 55 games (44 starts) last season, Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Won't play Wednesday
Gafford (rest) won't play Wednesday against the Pelicans, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The big man is receiving a maintenance day Wednesday. His next chance to play comes Friday against the Hawks.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Plays off bench in opener
Gafford produced seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt), three rebounds and one steal in eight minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.
In an interesting move, new head coach Dusty May opted to start a small-ball lineup of Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher and rookie Morez Johnson in the Mavericks' preseason opener, notably leaving Gafford to play off the bench. It's unclear if this trend will continue in the regular season, but with Dallas' frontcourt banged up, including a cloudy return timeline for Dereck Lively (foot), Gafford may need to play heavy minutes even if he operates off the bench.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: To have green light from deep
Gafford could have the green light to attempt occasional three-pointers this season, with head coach Dusty May encouraging the center to expand his offensive game, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
May said the Mavericks want Gafford to become more of a playmaking decision-maker on the perimeter and indicated that he'll be allowed to take rhythm threes as long as he earns those opportunities. Gafford has attempted just one three-pointer across his seven NBA regular seasons and has yet to make one, so any development of a perimeter shot would represent a significant change to his offensive profile. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes across 55 regular-season appearances in 2025-26.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: More competition for minutes
Gafford will face increased competition for minutes during the 2026-27 season after Dallas selected Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Gafford started 44 of the 55 games he appeared in last season, but there's a new head coach in Dallas, and the Mavericks just drafted one of his favorite prospects. With Dereck Lively expected to be back after recovering from foot surgery, Gafford will likely face stiff competition for frontcourt minutes during the 2026-27 campaign.
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Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Won't play Sunday
Gafford (rest) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bulls
Gafford will miss a fourth consecutive contest to end the season. The big man will finish the campaign with averages of 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 assists across 21.7 minutes per contest in 55 regular-season outings (44 starts). With Marvin Bagley (shoulder) and P.J. Washington (elbow) also ruled out, Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell are expected to handle the center minutes.
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