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Daniel Gafford

Daniel Gafford

27-Year-Old CenterC
Dallas Mavericks
Doubtful
Injury Ankle
Est. Return 11/1/2025
2025 Stats
PTS
0.0
REB
0.0
AST
0.0
STL
0.0
BLK
0.0
ROS Projections
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REB
AST
STL
BLK
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2025 Fantasy Outlook
Gafford's first full season in Dallas was interrupted by injuries, limiting him to 57 games. He made 31 starts as well, as his main competition in Dereck Lively was limited to a total of 36 games. Gafford produced averages of 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.8 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game, shooting a sky-high 70.2 percent from the field. On a per-game basis in nine-category formats, he managed an eighth-round valuation. The Mavericks acquired Anthony Davis towards the end of the 2024-25 season, and Lively is expected to be ready for training camp after recovering from foot surgery. It's been widely reported that Davis and Lively will be the starting frontcourt, with Gafford and P.J. Washington coming off the bench. Meanwhile, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg is projected to start at small forward. Despite the likely demotion, the Mavericks showed their commitment to Gafford with a three-year, $60 million extension. A role with minutes in the low 20s seems feasible, and he's shown that he can be a reliable fantasy producer in that amount of time. But as an added bonus, Gafford would likely see a spike in fantasy value should Davis or Lively miss time at any point this season, and it's no secret that durability is not a strength for either player. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#151
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
Overall
Height 6'10"
Weight 265
DOB 10/1/1998
College Arkansas
Drafted 2nd Rd, #8 in 2019
Signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension with the Mavericks in June of 2025.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Daniel Gafford was born in El Dorado, Arkansas in 1998 to Wayne Gafford and Teresa Frazier. He starred at El Dorado High School as a senior with averages of 17.4 points, 16.0 rebounds and 7.7 blocks. The big man also led his club that season to a 28-5 record and a spot in the 6A State Final. Gafford committed to the University of Arkansas and was ranked as the No. 11 power forward in the country heading into college. He briefly played football in high school but focused solely on basketball by 10th grade. You can follow Gafford on Instagram (@big.dandan). When Gafford joined the Razorbacks in 2017-18, the team had a trio of well-established guards but he needed some frontcourt power. The 6-foot-11 forward came off the bench for the first eight games. When coach Mike Anderson put him in the starting lineup against Minnesota, the freshman responded. He went 8-for-8 from the field on his way to 16 points while adding seven rebounds and six blocks in the win. Gafford had three double-doubles and helped the Razorbacks into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. He provided seven points, five rebounds and three blocks in the first-round loss to Butler. Gafford decided to return to Arkansas for his sophomore season and improved his scoring average from 11.8 points to 16.9 points per game. He also led the Razorbacks with 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. He had 10 double-doubles, including 29 points and 16 rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Alabama. Following an SEC Tournament loss to Florida, the sophomore forward did not play in the NIT in order to prepare for the 2019 NBA Draft.

Won't play Wednesday
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 29, 2025
Gafford (ankle) will remain on the sidelines for Wednesday's game against the Pacers, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
ANALYSIS
Gafford was doubtful, so it's not surprising to see him get ruled out. With Dereck Lively (knee) set to join him on the sidelines Wednesday evening, P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis will get all the run they can handle.
Read More News
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How does Daniel Gafford compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
71.6%
 
Effective Field Goal %
70.2%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
0.0%
 
Free Throw Rate
48.6%
 
Offensive Rebound %
14.1%
 
Defensive Rebound %
20.3%
 
Total Rebound %
17.2%
 
Assist %
10.2%
 
Steal %
0.8%
 
Block %
7.1%
 
Turnover %
10.3%
 
Usage %
19.5%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
28.0
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.3
 
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Average Fantasy Points
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Daniel Gafford See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
After years of promise, Gafford finally rewarded managers with a breakout performance, completing easily his best season to date. He finished as the 38th-ranked player in standard leagues, averaging 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 combined steals and blocks. While it was a great season for Gafford, a midseason trade to Dallas did limit what he was able to do down the stretch. He carved out a role as a starter for his new team, however, his minutes fluctuated from game to game. The Mavericks likely view Dereck Lively as their center of the future, something that could become more obvious moving forward. Despite starting, Gafford regularly saw fewer minutes than Lively, seemingly playing as a backup. Should that trend continue into the 2024-25 season, it's hard to see Gafford replicating what he did last year. He still warrants attention in drafts as an elite per-minute fantasy producer. With that said, Lively is likely to be the preferred option in both fantasy and reality. Gafford should still have a relatively safe floor if he can crack at least 22 minutes per night. Should that drop to fewer than 20 minutes, there may not be enough meat on the bone for anyone not simply seeking blocks and rebounds.
Gafford produced another respectable season for the Wizards, averaging 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He shot a robust 73.2 percent from the field and didn't kill fantasy managers with his 67.9 percent shooting from the charity stripe. He started 47 of the 78 games that he played, but he has a great opportunity to be the Wizards' full-time starting center this season. Gone is Kristaps Porzingis, who was dealt to the Celtics. Bradley Beal and Monte Morris have also departed, while the team has brought in Tyus Jones and Jordan Poole, while re-signing Kyle Kuzma. However, they did not make any significant additions at center, with journeyman Mike Muscala currently Gafford's biggest threat for playing time. For his career, Gafford has averaged 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a starter, compared to 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks coming off the bench. He is a real threat to approach 30 minutes per game in the Wizards' new roster construction. For those who don't want to spend significant draft capital at the center position, targeting Gafford later on in drafts could provide significant value.
Gafford spent most of last season as Washington's starting center. The Arkansas product got the nod in his first 45 appearances but wasn't logging true starter's minutes, garnering just 21.2 per game. He averaged 9.2 points on 68.6 percent shooting, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 assists in those first 45 games. Once Thomas Bryant was fully healthy and the Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis - both occurring in February - Gafford mostly appeared off the bench. His workload only saw a slight decline, as he played 18.2 minutes per game in his final 27 appearances. A similar situation should unfold this season. Kristaps Porzingis figures to start at center, leaving Gafford backup minutes at the five. Porzingis can also play power forward, so the two may spend some time on the court together. Ultimately, Gafford is unlikely to hold relevance in standard leagues, as he ranked 154th in per-game fantasy production last season. However, there's still some upside for Gafford if Porzingis gets injured, and he frequently does, so managers in deep leagues (especially best ball) can take a chance on him if he draws a decent number of starts.
It was not a pretty start to the 2020-21 campaign for Gafford, as he barely saw the floor in the first half of the season with Chicago. The 6-foot-10 big played just 12.4 minutes per game while scoring only 4.7 points in 31 games. However, Gafford still managed 1.1 blocks per game despite the limited action. The Arkansas' product's season immediately changed after he was dealt to Washington at the trade deadline. Gafford quickly carved out a role with the Wizards, as he averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game. However, his best moments came in the play-in-games and Playoffs, where he posted 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. In the postseason, he recorded a block in each game, while rejecting five shots in two separate games. While Gafford enters the new year on a high note, it will be far from a cake walk to the starting center job in 2021-22. The Wizards acquired big-man Montrezl Harrell in the offseason wand still have another talented young big in Thomas Bryant, who's still working back from a torn ACL. While Gafford will face stiff competition for minutes, with Bryant on the shelf to begin the season and the rest of the rotation yet to be established, Gafford should have an opportunity to compete for the starting center job. For fantasy managers, the hope is Gafford sees enough minutes to creep closer to 2.0 blocks per game.
Gafford unsurprisingly filled a modest role during his rookie 2019-20 campaign, averaging 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 14.2 minutes over 43 games while working behind Wendell Carter at the five. Carter's injury-prone ways did extend into the 2018 seventh overall pick's sophomore campaign, but fellow big Cristiano Felicio vultured some of the opportunities the former's absence afforded and Gafford also dealt with a thumb issue of his own. The Arkansas product did make significant strides in his second and final college season as a scorer and rebounder, and he impressively averaged at least two blocks per contest in his pair of campaigns with the Razorbacks. However, he figures to once again have relatively modest opportunities to display his wares at the NBA level in the coming season unless a significant injury sidelines Carter for extended time.
A sophomore out of Arkansas, Gafford landed on the Bulls with the 38th overall pick in the 2019 Draft. Last season, the 6-foot-11, 233-pound center was voted onto the First Team All-SEC (Coaches) and SEC All-Defensive Team. He started all 32 of his appearances, averaging 16.9 points on 66.0 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. In five summer league appearances, Gafford kept up those numbers, averaging 13.8 points on 68.3 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks across 24.9 minutes. After Wendell Carter Jr., the Bulls' No. 2 center spot seems to be up for grabs, with Gafford competing against Luke Kornet and Cristiano Felicio. There's a strong chance Gafford will be able to secure the reserve center role, and he could have fantasy relevance in deep leagues as a result. That said, it's unlikely he contributes outside of field-goal percentage, rebounding and shot-blocking.
More Fantasy News
Unlikely to play vs. Indiana
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 28, 2025
Gafford (ankle) has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Pacers.
ANALYSIS
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Ruled out Monday
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 27, 2025
Gafford (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Thunder, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Unlikely to play
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 27, 2025
Gafford (ankle) is doubtful for Monday's game against the Thunder.
ANALYSIS
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Won't play Sunday
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 26, 2025
Gafford (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raptors.
ANALYSIS
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Unlikely to play Sunday
CDallas Mavericks
Ankle
October 25, 2025
Gafford (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Raptors.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could split time with Lively
CDallas Mavericks
August 19, 2025
Gafford could split time with Dereck Lively at center, Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban reported Monday.
ANALYSIS
"For Gafford, he too is poised to play a ton, as he and Lively's minutes per game when they are both healthy is often almost split down the middle," Weber said. "Combine this fact with Lively's injury history over the last two seasons, and Gafford may also find himself being more impactful than anyone realizes." While Weber projects Gafford to come off the bench, he clearly anticipates a significant role and even makes the case that he could push for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
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