Wizards trade Daniel Gafford to Mavericks for Richaun Holmes, picks

Wizards trade Daniel Gafford to Mavericks for Richaun Holmes, picks

The Washington Wizards have traded starting center Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Richaun Holmes and draft compensation, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report ahead of roughly one-and-a-half hours ahead of Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks swapped their own 2028 first-round pick with Oklahoma City’s own 2028 first in order to acquire a 2024 first to trade to Washington.

Gafford, 25, is averaging 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, one steal and 2.2 blocks in 26.5 minutes in 45 games. He will help Dallas’ back-line defensively, which is still compromised regardless if Dereck Lively is on the court or not.

He is also a good vertical spacer that will be a good rim-running option for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the pick-and-roll. Gafford’s in the first year of a three-year, $40.2 million deal with a $12.4 million cap hit this season.

Holmes hasn’t found much footing since 2021-22 prior to Domantas Sabonis‘ infusion midseason. The 30-year-old was been all but out of the regular rotation last season before getting traded to Dallas on draft night. He only appeared in 23 games (two starts), averaging just 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.3 minutes.

Perhaps he will take over for Gafford in Washington, where he can re-establish his role in an NBA rotation. The competition in the Wizards’ frontcourt should be wide open for Holmes to nab. It’s worth noting that he’s in the third year of a four-year, $46.5 million deal with a $12.9 million player option next season, per Spotrac.

What do you think of this trade? Let us know in the comments!

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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