The New York Knicks have a growing dilemma at the center position that can't be ignored. Karl-Anthony Towns thrives in areas other than rim protection, Mitchell Robinson has struggled mightily with injuries, and the Knicks' lack of depth beyond them is making the latter flaw even more prohibitive to team success.
Thankfully, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly exploring the trade market for center Daniel Gafford—a player who can help the Knicks complete the process of returning to the NBA Finals.
Lofty a goal as it may be, Gafford offers the rim protection New York needs alongside Towns, and the availability Robinson has been unable to provide. He's also previously helped a team reach the NBA Finals in a rather significant role within the rotation. With Dallas now struggling, however, Gafford could be on his way out.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Mavericks are doing their homework on what Gafford could net them in a potential trade.
"The Mavericks are open to exploring the trade markets for Davis, center Daniel Gafford and guards Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell, sources said."
If the Knicks are looking for ways to improve the odds of their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999, then trading for Gafford would be a wise decision.
Knicks must capitalize on Mavericks being open to trading Daniel Gafford
Gafford, 27, is on the trade market for two simple reasons. One is that the Mavericks have a surplus of players at power forward and center who are struggling to coexist. The other is that Gafford is in the first season of a three-year, $54,380,290 contract.
Considering Dereck Lively II is younger, Anthony Davis is a superstar, and Cooper Flagg is showing signs of fitting better at the 4 than the 5, Gafford is effectively the odd man out.
The Knicks can capitalize on that fact by bringing in a player who helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals in 2024. Gafford is an excellent complementary piece, providing value as a top-tier shot-blocker, rim runner, and offensive rebounder who has experience playing alongside floor-spacing 4s.
For perspective on what he offers down low, Gafford boasts career averages of 16.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 offensive boards, 2.0 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes.
Furthermore, Gafford played at least 72 games in three of the previous four seasons, bottoming out at 57. Robinson, meanwhile, missed 51 games in 2023-24, 65 in 2024-25, and has been steadily in and out of the lineup throughout the 2025-26 season.
Compounded by the fact that Robinson is playing on an expiring contract and Gafford is in the first season of a three-year deal, the Knicks could answer long-term questions at center with a trade.
Gafford can immediately slot in next to Towns as the athletic rim protector who allows his hypothetical star teammate to continue crashing the boards without having to carry a burden he isn't ideally equipped to take on. He can also take pressure off of Jalen Brunson as a screener who jelled quickly with stylistically comparable scorers in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas.
The logistics of trading for Gafford could result in New York having to give up a future first-round draft pick, but if the reward is finally making it back to the NBA Finals, then it's worth the cost.