NBA
Dallas’ Daniel Gafford (ankle) will miss 2-3 weeks due to injury
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated1 hour ago on October 02, 2025
Tuesday, September 30, was the first day of training camp for the Dallas Mavericks. The team is preparing for the grind of the 82-game regular season.
Wednesday, October 22, is Dallas’ first game of the year. They will be at home to face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. In that matchup, the Mavericks could be without a key frontcourt player. Recently, it was announced that big man Daniel Gafford suffered an ankle injury on the first day of camp. He’s expected to miss 2-3 weeks. It’s unknown if Gafford will be available for their first game.
Daniel Gafford could miss the start of the 2025-26 season with an ankle injury
Daniel Gafford Out 2-3 Weeks Due To Sprained Ankle https://t.co/Lp8TF5eQz9
— RealGM (@RealGM) October 2, 2025
The 2025-26 season will be Daniel Gafford’s 7th season in the NBA and his third with the Mavericks. At the 2023-24 deadline, the Wizards traded Gafford to Dallas in exchange for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round draft pick. Daniel Gafford has appeared in 86 games and made 52 starts over two seasons with the Mavericks. However, Gafford missed time during the 2024-25 season due to injury.
He appeared in 57 games last season and made 31 starts for Dallas. Gafford missed 21 consecutive games due to a sprained left knee. He did return later in the year for five of their last six games. During his 2024-25 campaign with the Mavs, Daniel Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. His 12.3 points per game were a new career-high.
REPORT: Daniel Gafford sprained his ankle during the first day of Mavs training camp and will be out for 2-3 weeks, per Jason Kidd.
(via @KevinGraySports) pic.twitter.com/yzaxZCiLGS
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) October 2, 2025
This offseason, the team rewarded Gafford with a three-year, $54 million extension. Daniel Gafford is under contract through the 2028-29 season. There were rumors this offseason that Gafford was a trade candidate for the Mavs. It’s worth noting that he remains trade eligible without a six-month waiting period. If Dallas finds a team willing to trade for Gafford, they won’t hesitate to strike a deal.
Daniel Gafford will likely miss the team’s entire preseason schedule. Dallas plays their first preseason game on October 6 and the last on October 15. That’s a small window for Daniel Gafford to return. With the depth they have in the frontcourt, there is no reason for the Mavs to rush Gafford back. They have Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Cooper Flagg down low. Daniel Gafford will miss 2-3 weeks due to a sprained ankle, but it’s not believed to be a long-term injury.
