Prior to the Dallas Mavericks game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, head coach Jason Kidd revealed that newly-acquired players PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford will play but won't start. Kidd said Washington will likely receive the opportunity to start before the All-Star break, however.

The Mavericks trades for Washington and Gafford should prove to be crucial for Dallas moving forward. Both players have the potential to make a positive impact on both sides of the ball.

Gafford and Dereck Lively II, once the rookie returns from injury, will give Dallas two quality options in the post. In fact, Gafford said he even sees some similarities between his and Lively's games.

“With Lively
 I see a lot of similarities for sure,” Gafford said on Saturday before the game. “When I first played against him and I was in Washington, I was just like ‘Oh man, it's like I'm playing against myself.' Really though, it's going to be a one-two punch, you know, no matter how the lineup is
 I do a lot of screaming, I don't know if Lively does. It's going to just be a lot of energy. I can't wait for it, I'm really excited. The sky's the limit for us.”

PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford ready to help Mavericks

PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks

During their introductory press conference on Saturday, Washington and Gafford both discussed their excitement to be joining the Mavs.

“It's exciting. It's everything you want as a player in the NBA, to be on a team that's trying to contend and win,” Washington said. “I think it's great, so I'm just super excited to be here and I can't wait to get started.”

Washington was averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with the Charlotte Hornets prior to the trade. He's a forward who can guard multiple positions on defense and stretch the floor on offense.

“It's for sure taking the next step in the right direction,” Gafford said. “I mean, you go from a team where you weren't able to be in a position where we are now. It's just kind of like, locking in again for sure. It's kind of like the start of another season for us. Pretty much coming and just picking up where it was left off from the last game from the last team that we were on.”

Gafford, meanwhile, was averaging 10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per outing prior to getting traded to the Mavericks. Dallas needed help in the rebounding department, and Gafford will certainly assist on the boards.

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Looking ahead

It's important to remember these moves are for the entire season, not just a couple of games. Perhaps Washington and Gafford will begin their Mavericks tenures on a high note. Even if they don't, though, Mavs fans can remain optimistic.

Dallas wanted to address specific needs ahead of the NBA trade deadline, and that is exactly what the team did by acquiring Washington and Gafford. General manager Nico Harrison explained why the Mavs wanted to acquire both players before the deadline.

“We're super excited as an organization to introduce both these guys,” Harrison said. “The trade deadline, as you know, is always kind of a hectic thing. But we came in there with three goals, and we feel like we accomplished them. We wanted to get bigger, we wanted to get more depth, and we also want to get some more scoring in the frontcourt. And these gentlemen, they represent all of that.

“So we're really excited to have them. We think we did accomplish our goals and we think that our team is better because of that.”