The Dallas Mavericks are hoping for a fresh start in 2025-26 after a tumultuous season last year that was defined by the stunning Luka Doncic trade and a barrage of injuries. Nearly every key Mavericks rotation player, both before and after the trade, missed time with injuries, and that caused Dallas to miss the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Dallas is not off to a good start in the health department this year as training camp gets underway. Starting center Daniel Gafford rolled his ankle on the first day of preseason practice and will be out for several weeks, according to ESPN's Tim McMahon.
“Mavs C Daniel Gafford rolled his ankle on the first day of camp and will miss 2-3 weeks, Jason Kidd said,” McMahon reported on X, formerly Twitter.
The Mavericks will need to lean on their front court for most of the season with Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL, but now they are down one of their most important players in that group.
Still, Dallas will be able to lean on both Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II in the front court until Gafford gets back, but its depth will be depleted until it is fully healthy again. Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington will also be there to help out at the forward spot, but having a rim-runner like Gafford in the lineup is a great way to put pressure on the defense in the middle of the floor.
The Mavericks also brought D'Angelo Russell in to be the lead guard until Irving gets back on the floor at some point in the second half of the season, and they have Klay Thompson spacing the floor on the wing. While Irving's scoring will be dearly missed, the hope is that Dallas can field an elite defense until he gets back and allows it to compete for a championship.
For now, all eyes will be on Flagg as the NBA world parses through just how good the No. 1 overall pick is coming into the league. He showed plenty of pro-ready skills during his lone season at Duke, and now he will have an even bigger role to start his career with Gafford out.
The Mavericks will get their regular season underway on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs, which is exactly three weeks from when the injury occurred. There is a chance that Gafford is back on the floor by then, but expect Dallas to be cautious with one of its most important players this early in the season.
