The Western Conference will be a bloodbath for the Golden State Warriors to fight through next season, with that unaided by the fact the Dallas Mavericks were gifted the No. 1 overall pick and Cooper Flagg just months after their bewildering decision to trade Luka Doncic.
Now the Mavericks have secured a key piece of their team ahead of Flagg's official arrival this week, reportedly signing center Daniel Gafford to a three-year contract extension according to ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday.
The Mavericks have a front court luxury the Warriors wish they had
Gafford's new deal -- a three-year, $54 million extension according to NBA insider Marc Stein -- now sees the 26-year-old contracted until 2029. With the arrival of Flagg to a front court already featuring Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II, there was a feeling that Gafford could be the odd man out this summer and therefore become a strong trade candidate.
Teams in need of a shot-blocking center like the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers may have had interest in Gafford, but while he's still technically trade-eligible, this new contract seemingly reduces speculation that he could be on the move.
The departure of Doncic and a devastating long-term ACL injury to star guard Kyrie Irving does leave significant questions regarding the Mavericks' back court, yet there's no doubt that their front court is now the envy of many around the league and particularly for a team like the Warriors.
With Flagg and the big man trio of Davis, Lively and Gafford, Dallas has enormous size and length that should see them improve dramatically from the 20th-ranked defense that they held this past season.
It's a luxury to have so many true athletic and shot-blocking types for Jason Kidd to utilize, especially in comparison to what Steve Kerr and Golden State have at their disposal. The Warriors spent the last few months of the season playing a 35-year-old, 6'6" Draymond Green as their starting center, something they acknowledge isn't sustainable heading into next season.
Their path to actually obtaining a quality starting center isn't overly clear though. There's suggestions that Golden State may simply lean more heavily into youngster Quinten Post given his ability to space the floor next to Green, but such a move is also fraught with danger based on his inexperience and current inability to be a consistent defensive presence.
The Warriors also have Trayce Jackson-Davis under contract as a rim-protecting, rebounding big man, yet he's still undersized at 6'9" and holds offensive limitations that may prevent him from being the long-term starting center the franchise needs.
There's so much uncertainty facing Golden State's big man stocks right now, and their ability to address it could make-or-break their championship hopes next season. The fact the Mavericks have now secured Gafford long-term as part of an enviable front court rotation only reiterates the Warriors' problems, and also takes a potential solution off the trade market.