All hell is breaking loose for Mavericks with latest Daniel Gafford injury update

Just when fans thought things couldn’t get worse, the Dallas Mavericks announced that center Daniel Gafford has suffered a right knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, per NBA insider Brett Siegel.

The injury bug has hit Dallas hard, leaving them without three key big men. Anthony Davis is sidelined for multiple weeks with a left abductor strain, Dereck Lively II has been out since Jan. 23rwith an ankle sprain, and now Daniel Gafford joins the list with a knee sprain that will keep him out for at least two weeks. With their frontcourt depth quickly depleting, GM Nico Harrison is left scrambling for answers.

Daniel Gafford’s breakout season interrupted by injury

Gafford, 26, had been having arguably the best season of his career, averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in just 21.9 minutes of action. His presence in the paint provided much-needed rim protection and interior defense, but with him now sidelined, the Mavericks are left dangerously thin in the frontcourt.

It seems like nothing is going right for a team that just made the NBA Finals last season—their first trip since 2011. The snowball effect continues to grow for Harrison and the Mavericks, especially after trading Luka Dončić — reportedly due to injury concerns — for Anthony Davis, a player with an extensive injury history. Now, that decision is already backfiring spectacularly.

Beyond their on-court struggles, fan morale has completely cratered. Season ticket holders are demanding full refunds, fans are getting ejected from games for voicing their displeasure, and a once-loyal fanbase is now turning against the front office. What was once a city deeply devoted to its team is now watching it crumble before their eyes.

The Mavericks face a brutal back-to-back before the All-Star break, first against the Golden State Warriors on February 12th, where they’ll have to deal with Draymond Green and Kevon Looney in the paint, followed by a matchup against the Miami Heat on February 13th, where Bam Adebayo has been dominant inside. With P.J. Washington and Dwight Powell not expected back until after the break, Dallas is forced into small-ball lineups, a risky strategy against teams with elite bigs.

Currently 5-5 in their last 10 games and sitting at the 8th seed in the Western Conference, the Mavericks are dangerously close to slipping out of the playoff picture. The question remains: Can they survive the storm, or is a full collapse inevitable?