Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford suffered a right knee sprain and will be reevaluated within two weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
It’s the latest blow to a decimated Mavericks’ frontcourt that includes injuries to newly acquired center Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell.
Gafford was injured early in Monday’s overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. He left the game after playing 10 minutes.
Following the shocking trade last week that sent franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Davis, general manager Nico Harrison talked about his vision for the Davis-led Mavericks, including a massive frontcourt that featured multiple big men playing together.
It appears that Dallas will have to wait at least a few weeks before seeing that vision fully realized. Lively went down because of a stress fracture in his right foot last month and was expected to be sidelined two to three months. Davis was expected to sit out multiple weeks because of a left adductor strain, sources told ESPN earlier this week.
Powell, a Mavericks veteran, is dealing with a hip injury and has no clear timeline to return.
Second-year player Olivier-Maxence Prosper took over at center in Monday’s loss after Gafford’s injury and played 34 minutes. P.J. Washington, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, could also get time as a small-ball center when he returns.
The Mavericks entered Tuesday night at No. 8 in the Western Conference.