{"id":753798,"date":"2026-06-06T07:03:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753798\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T07:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T07:03:20","slug":"mavs-daniel-gafford-talks-masai-ujiri-head-coach-search-as-team-enters-pivotal-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753798\/","title":{"rendered":"Mavs’ Daniel Gafford talks Masai Ujiri, head coach search as team enters pivotal offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daniel\u00a0Gafford spent a chunk of his morning\u00a0at The\u00a0Sportsplex at Valley View, footsteps from where the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> plan to build their multi-billion-dollar arena and entertainment district.<\/p>\n

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The Mavericks center was the special guest for Friday\u2019s GEM Hoop Camp for 17 young girls aged 7-14. After autographs, a series of light basketball drills and the popular game of knockout, Gafford fielded questions about his offseason and the sudden change within\u00a0the organization since Masai Ujiri was hired as team president.<\/p>\n

\"Mavericks<\/p>\n

Mavericks center Daniel Gafford cheers with the members of the Mavs GEM All Girls Camp, on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Dallas. (Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

Injuries hindered Gafford during his\u00a0seventh\u00a0NBA season. He played in just 55 games, some through the pain of a right ankle sprain he suffered on the first day of training camp. He also had right shoulder impingement, which led to him missing the final four games of the regular season. One would presume Gafford would be 100% healthy, exactly two months removed from his last game April 5, but that\u2019s not the case yet.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m getting there,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cThe rehab is good. I\u2019m staying consistent. I\u2019m holding myself accountable to just take care of my body. The main part of it was the mental side. I wanted to make sure my mental side was good, to be able to have the right approach to take care of the ankle and the stuff I had going on with the shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are over three months left until the Mavericks reconvene for training camp, which gives Gafford plenty of time to recover from his injuries. Much has transpired since he last played an\u00a0NBA game, including the overhaul of the front office. Upon Ujiri\u2019s appointment as president of basketball operations, he\u00a0hired Mike Schmitz as general manager, secured the No. 9 pick<\/a> in this month\u2019s draft and fired head coach Jason\u00a0Kidd<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Impressions of Ujiri<\/p>\n

Gafford was asked for his impressions of Ujiri and the changes he\u2019s made over the last month.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is a business,\u201d Gafford said. \u201cI\u2019m not necessarily surprised when it comes to some of the things that he\u2019s done with the organization because I\u2019m pretty sure he already had that kind of in his back pocket when he got hired here. I\u2019m just sitting back and watching from afar. \u2026 They have their own mindsets\u00a0coming into a new organization. That\u2019s one thing he\u2019s doing.\u00a0I\u2019ve yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with him, but he did make sure he called me and we had a good conversation on the phone. I\u2019m excited for the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

There haven\u2019t been any roster changes, but that can change quickly with the\u00a0NBA draft<\/a> 18 days away. The Mavericks also have four unrestricted free agents and a team option to decide for Ryan\u00a0Nembhard. Not to mention, Ujiri and Schmitz will have to figure out which veterans are best suited to remain with the franchise as it builds around Cooper Flagg<\/a>. Most of this iteration of the Mavericks were designed to play around Luka Doncic<\/a>, who is no longer with the team, along with Kidd.<\/p>\n

Seven head coaches in eight seasons<\/p>\n

Last summer, Gafford signed a three-year extension beginning this season and running through 2028-29. If he returns to the team, he\u2019ll do so under his seventh head coach in eight seasons. He played under Jim\u00a0Boylen and Billy Donovan in Chicago<\/a>; Scott Brooks, Wes Unseld and\u00a0Brian Keefe in Washington; and Kidd in his 2\u00bd seasons in Dallas.<\/p>\n

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What does he desire in a new head coach<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u201cReally just somebody that can hold me accountable, push me to be the best player that I can be, night in, night out and just let me be me,\u201d he said. \u201cNot necessarily just going out there and dribbling and all of that, but just let me be me. Tell me all of the things I need to do, give me my job description out the gate and nine times out of 10, I\u2019m going to step up to the plate and hopefully I don\u2019t disappoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gafford totaled 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season, right around his career averages of 9.3 points and 5.8 boards with 1.5 rejections per game. It\u2019s a long way from what he\u2019s capable of, since he recorded a career-high 12.3 points with 6.8 rebounds in 2024-25. He\u2019s an asset when healthy, given his strengths as a lob threat and rim protector. His presence is even more valuable when Dereck Lively II<\/a> is unavailable, given his injury misfortune over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n

The new Mavericks brass will have some big decisions to make, especially once the draft concludes. First thing, they\u2019ll need to find a new coach.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe sky\u2019s the limit for us, and I\u2019m ready for whatever coach we have,\u201d Gafford said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna always be coachable. I\u2019m gonna always do what\u2019s needed of me and just keep it pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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