Kyle Kuzma was the Washington Wizards player linked the most to the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline, but it was big man Daniel Gafford who got sent to the Texas-based NBA franchise. Kuzma, however, seemed to be genuinely happy for his now ex-teammate. For Kuzma, Gafford is a perfect fit for the Mavs, in large part because he's going to see plenty of scoring opportunities due to opposing defense putting so much focus on the likes of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“Gafford's got the easiest job in sports now,” Kuzma said of his former teammate's trade to the Mavericks (h/t Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com).
“Everybody is going to double, he's just got to catch the ball in the middle of the key, and he just has to make the right play, either pass or dunk it. 16 and 17 in 24 minutes… I am very happy for him.”
The Wizards traded Gafford to the Mavericks for Richaun Holmes and a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Gafford is a controllable asset until at least the end of the 2025-26 NBA season, having signed a three-year contract extension with Washington back in 2021.
So far, Kuzma's word on Gafford is proving right. In two games with the Mavericks, Gafford has scored a total of 35 points on 58.3 field goal percentage and 26 rebounds. Nearly 65 percent of his made field goals in Mavs uniform so far have been off assists.
Gafford scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in his first game against the Wizards Monday night to help the Mavs pull off a 112-195 home win.
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