The Dallas Mavericks have a problem in their front court: it’s getting a little overcrowded with talent. When they traded for Daniel Gafford during the 23-24 season (along with PJ Washington), they sought to install a veteran presence next to rookie Dereck Lively II, one who could groom him to become an elite 5. As Lively was then under the tutelage of former Mavs champion, Tyson Chandler, he was in no shortage of quality instruction. The Mavs brass knew that, while Lively displayed an extremely high ceiling, they’d need someone with more NBA experience (and sheer mass) at the center position if they were to make it far in that year’s playoffs.

After acquiring Gafford, the team utilized a Gaff-DLive rotation at the 5 which supplemented their all-star back court seamlessly, rocketing the t

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