Dallas Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford revealed that his home was “left in shambles” due to a burglary right before he was traded from the Washington Wizards to Dallas.
“Gafford said matters were made more challenging in Washington for him and his wife, DaShundra, when their home in Alexandria, Virginia, was burglarized and ‘left in shambles’ about a week before the trade,” Andscape’s Marc J. Spears wrote. “His wife’s jewelry and purses were among the valuables stolen along with Gafford’s gaming equipment. The good news was the Gaffords weren’t home at the time.”
While it’s certainly unfortunate that the Gaffords lost valuables in the burglary, it’s a positive that nothing happened to them physically because of the incident.
“Everything can be replaced as long as we have our lives and are in good spirits,” Daniel Gafford said. “Of course, I was a bit bent out of shape at the time. But I realize I play in the league and I’ve got a little bit of money, so I could get my stuff back. I looked at it that way positively. In some form of fashion, we are going to get a blessing out of this.”
It’s nice to see the Mavericks big man looking for the positives of his situation, and he does have a solid contract to fall back on. Daniel Gafford’s current deal is a three-year pact worth over $40 million. He is under contract in Dallas through the 2025-26 season.
The 25-year-old has played well since being dealt to Dallas. He’s averaging 11.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game across 27 contests (19 starts). In addition to that, Daniel Gafford is shooting a terrific 77.3 percent from the field in a Dallas uniform.
Playing alongside star guards like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving seems to have helped Daniel Gafford’s offensive game, likely due to the fact that both players not only are good passers, but they also require a lot of attention from opposing defenses.
A native of Arkansas, where he also played his college basketball for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, Daniel Gafford shared that he’s much closer to home now that he’s in Dallas.
“I am only about four or five hours from my house,” Daniel Gafford said. “So, being so close now is something special to me. I can have my family and my people from my hometown come down and be around me. It’s something I always wanted to have, them come in and experience everything around me playing in the NBA.
“We’ve watched the NBA all our lives on TV, and they get to see a relative on TV. But now they get to see me in person playing with some of their favorite players, playing against some of their favorite teams. It’s something dope for me to have my people experience this on a daily basis.”
Daniel Gafford and the Mavericks are hoping to make a deep playoff run this season, and they’ve been red hot as of late, winning nine of their last 10 games to open up a two-game lead on the No. 6-seeded New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference.
Dallas will look to hang onto the No. 5 seed and solidify its playoff standing even further when it takes on the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
