The Boston Celtics have held the center rotation together through effort, size and depth. Neemias Queta has taken a real step forward, and his 100.2 defensive rating ranks as the third best in the entire NBA. Luka Garza brings touch and feel on offense. Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman give Joe Mazzulla dependable energy and physicality. The group has helped Boston stay organized without Jayson Tatum and has given the coaching staff honest minutes every night.
Still, the rotation profiles more like a strong bench unit than the kind of starting anchor a contender usually leans on.
With Tatum working his way back from Achilles surgery, Boston continues to lean on structure, spacing and perimeter creation. That places more pressure on finding stability at the five, and a new trade pitch from Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus has brought forward a realistic target: Daniel Gafford.
Why Daniel Gafford Fits the Celtics’ Structure
Gafford isn’t a star, and he doesn’t need to be.
Boston’s offense runs through Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and eventually Jayson Tatum. Their identity is built around guard play, spacing, movement and defense. What they need from the center position is clarity.
Gafford brings exactly that.
He averaged 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 22 minutes last season and started 22 playoff games during Dallas’ run to the 2024 Finals. He protects the rim, screens well, finishes lobs, and plays within structure. There is no guesswork with him — he fits into any lineup and does the things a role-playing center is supposed to do.
A potential five-man group of Payton Pritchard, White, Brown, Tatum and Gafford works. It’s simple, balanced and predictable. Boston doesn’t need a high-usage, high-maintenance big. They need someone who keeps the floor stable.
Gafford provides that stability without shifting responsibilities.
How the Three-Team Pitch Works
Here is Pincus’ 3 team framework for the trade:
Celtics receive:
- Daniel Gafford (from Mavericks)
- $27.7 million trade exception (Anfernee Simons)
Mavericks receive:
- Anfernee Simons (from Celtics)
- Haywood Highsmith (from Nets)
Nets receive:
- Klay Thompson (from Mavericks)
- Dwight Powell (from Mavericks)
- Rights to Yam Madar (No. 47 in 2020, from Celtics)
- 2026 second-rounder (via Celtics)
- 2030 Philadelphia 76ers second-rounder (via Mavericks)
- 2031 protected Houston Rockets second-rounder (via Celtics)
- $3.98 million (from Mavericks)
- $3.98 million (from Celtics)
For Boston, the reasoning is clean.
Simons is a valuable expiring contract, but his rhythm hasn’t always matched how the Celtics want to play. He is still productive, still talented, and still draws interest around the league. But Boston’s financial reality — already operating near the aprons — makes it difficult to retain him long-term.
Converting that expiring salary into a role-playing center who fits their structure is the type of move a contender makes when the timeline is defined.
The specifics of the proposal matter less than what it represents: Boston can use Simons’ contract to add a center who provides reliability without compromising future flexibility.
Is Gafford the Right Long-Term Type for Boston?
What makes Gafford a fit is how naturally he settles into the responsibilities the Celtics value: protecting the rim, screening with purpose, finishing plays created by their guards and maintaining the defensive structure Joe Mazzulla needs to keep lineups balanced.
The real question for the front office isn’t whether Gafford becomes a long-term centerpiece, but whether he represents the right kind of solution for this stage of the window. With Tatum eventually returning and Brown and White already carrying the offensive and defensive identity, stability at the five is more important than upside swings. If Boston views the position through that lens, Gafford checks the boxes that matter. He keeps the game simple, complements the core and helps the team maintain its structure during a season defined by adjustment.
Final Word for the Celtics
The Celtics have managed the center position with effort and depth, but the middle remains the one area where clarity could help the rotation settle. Daniel Gafford gives them that clarity. He doesn’t reshape the team. He doesn’t change the ceiling. But he makes the structure cleaner and the night-to-night responsibilities simpler.
For a team operating near the apron and building around Brown and Tatum, that may be exactly the type of move that matters.
If the Celtics choose to solidify the position, Gafford represents a realistic, dependable solution — one that matches the roster, the identity and the moment.
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