Dallas' valuable role player explained how he's approaching the offseason from a physical and mental standpoint, as well as his thoughts on the Mavs' search for a new head coach.
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford played a much more vital role for the team than expected in 2025-26, which puts his offseason contract extension of $54.4 million over four years into good use early.
Young big man Dereck Lively II struggled with injuries yet again in the midst of his rookie contract, which led to Gafford starting in 44 of the 55 games he played in this year.
This was Gafford's third season with the Mavs since his mid-season acquisition in 2023-24 that led to an NBA Finals berth. Since that run, he's undergone a number of organizational changes, but also personal changes, too.
Gafford spoke to Mavs.com this week and detailed parts of his offseason workout regimen and injury recovery. Much of this season, Gafford was plagued by an ankle injury that just wouldn't fully go away. His shoulder began bothering him late in the season, though he wasn't fully reluctant to sit out as a playoff berth wasn't in sight.
"I’m getting there, the rehab is good," he said. "I’m staying consistent, holding myself accountable, taking care of my body.
"But the main part is the mental side. I wanted to make sure my mental side was good to have the right approach to take care of the ankle and stuff that was going on with my shoulder. I’m taking one step at a time. I don’t want to rush anything, and when I get back, I want to do all the workouts and be 100 percent healthy before I even get back out there on the floor."
Gafford averaged 9.5 points on 65 percent shooting, both career-lows since joining the Mavs, his third stop in seven NBA seasons.
And speaking of accountability, that's a factor he has in mind as Dallas' new front-office leadership searches for a head coach. For every player other than Dwight Powell, this will be just their second coach with the Mavericks.
"Somebody that can hold me accountable," he said. "Push me to be the best player I can be night in and night out. And just let me be me. Tell me the things I need to do, give me my job description, and nine times out of 10, I’m going to step up to the plate and hopefully I don’t disappoint."
However, for Gafford, he's accustomed to switching coaches regularly. He said the Mavs' next coach will be his fifth head coach in eight seasons. With the Chicago Bulls, Gafford played under Jim Boylen and Billy Donovan, and Washington, he played for Scott Brooks, Wes Unseld and Bryan Keefe before Jason Kidd with the Mavericks.
Despite the turnover - from new president Masai Ujiri, to new general manager Mike Schmitz, a new coach and even a lottery pick added to the roster - Gafford has belief in next year's team.
"The sky’s the limit for us and I’m ready for it."
Leading that charge is budding star Cooper Flagg and back-from-injury Kyrie Irving, who figures to bring a lob component to the Mavs' offensive playmaking with Gafford and Lively.
