The Dallas Mavericks acquired PJ Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. Washington and Gafford project to play big roles for this Dallas team throughout the rest of the season. Prior to Saturday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavs held an introductory press conference for their new players.
Washington and Gafford both expressed excitement about joining a contender after previously playing for the struggling Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, respectively.
“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.”
“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.”
The Mavericks are currently eighth in the Western Conference. However, they are just a couple of games behind the Phoenix Suns for the fifth spot in the conference. Dallas has a good chance of making a run toward clinching a playoff spot, and not just an NBA Play-In Tournament berth, in the second-half of the season.
How Washington, Gafford found out about trades to Mavericks
Fans sometimes forget that being traded in the NBA means moving to a brand new city. It's a complete change for players. Washington and Gafford addressed the exact moment they found out they were being traded to the Mavericks.
“I was at a restaurant, me and my wife,” Washington said. “She asked me a question, she was like, ‘what would you do if you got traded to the Mavs right now?' And it was literally not three minutes later, I got traded to the Mavs. I literally jumped out of the restaurant and ran to the car and was just excited. For me, nothing but excitement. Couldn't sleep. I'm just ready to start playing.”
“I was on the way to the facility,” Gafford said. “Well, he gave me a call, let me know… I went in, said my goodbyes. Let everybody know it's not going to be the last time they see me, but it's going to be the last time I'm going to be in a Wizards jersey most definitely.
“It was a real, kind of, weird experience because I was like, ‘okay bet.' Going in, lock in, get ready for the next game. Now I'm getting ready to go to another city so it was just something that… I was used to from getting traded from Chicago. Now, just another step in my chapter of my book.”
It will be interesting to see how PJ Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford fare in their Mavericks debuts on Saturday against a talented Thunder team. The contest should be an exciting one, as it represents a potential playoff preview.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 PM EST in Dallas as the Mavericks look to earn a crucial victory against the Thunder and keep their winning streak alive.
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