One of the reasons the Dallas Mavericks are well protected around the basket these days is because of the mid-season
But looking back, Gafford could have been bringing that protection a few years earlier.
On the day of the 2019 NBA Draft, the Mavs had the 37th overall pick and decided to draft Deividas Sirvydis, who they quickly traded to Detroit. With the very next pick, the Chicago Bulls drafted Gafford.
Years later, word leaked to Gafford that: “Some of the (Mavs) staff, they were saying throughout my pre-draft, they were saying they always had, of course, eyes on me.