(01-03-2026, 01:56 PM)mvossman Wrote: Gafford is much more effective if he has a high level P&R partner, and he doesn't have one right now. He apparently still has value, but if he goes an entire season like this I'm not sure how much of that value he will keep. If they actually manage to trade AD and Gafford, then you play a lot of small ball with PJ at the 5 and run. It's not a recipe to win a lot of games, but it should still be fun.
As for next season, you still have Lively as your starting center, so I wouldn't call it tearing down to the studs. Given Lively health concerns, you are going to need some depth, but you should have plenty of options to handle that. I don't see Gafford as a long term fit here, especially if they don't get an elite P&R PG.
I think this is right. Had Gafford been completely healthy, we still wouldn't be seeing the center we need. His stats weren't going to be the same without Doncic.
Gafford plays hard, but he's not a very good defensive rebounding center and he can't expand his game much outside the paint. Unlike AD, he has no offensive game with his face to the basket, so he's limited really offensively and defensively. It's just not the right fit anymore.
Lively is really the center you need, we just can't keep him healthy. The center position is an issue, but it's probably not as important now as shooting from the perimeter. It will have to be addressed eventually though.
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