NBA trade proposal sends Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford to Pacers

The Indiana Pacers aren’t saving this season. That ship has sailed.

With Tyrese Haliburton done for the year and the losses piling up, this has turned into a positioning season. Evaluate. Reset. Figure out what actually works when this thing restarts next fall.

That’s where Daniel Gafford comes in.

Not as a savior. Not as a headline. Just as a useful, functional NBA big who fills a hole the Pacers have had for a while.

Here is the hypothetical trade, as proposed by Jake Rogers of Dallas Hoops Journal:

Pacers receive

• Daniel Gafford
• Dante Exum

Mavericks receive

• Isaiah Jackson
• Jarace Walker
• 2028 second-round pick

Why Indiana Does It

This is about next year. Not tonight.

Gafford doesn’t need touches. He runs the floor, protects the rim, finishes plays, and lets guards be guards. Plug him next to Haliburton in October and suddenly things make more sense. Exum is just salary. Nothing more.

Instead of cycling through bigs who don’t fit, Indiana spends the rest of a lost season integrating someone who might.

Why Dallas Does It

The Mavericks aren’t really a win-now team anymore, whether they say it or not.

Gafford has helped, no question. But if you’re reshaping around Cooper Flagg, you take younger swings. Walker needs minutes. Jackson needs a reset. The pick is fine.

Nobody wins the press conference. Both teams get a little closer to what they actually are.

And sometimes, that’s the whole point.