Dallas Mavericks
Knee-jerk move: Trading Daniel Gafford
After their run to the NBA Finals last year, there was a narrative forming before the start of the season that the Dallas Mavericks should rush to remove the training wheels off of Dereck Lively II. Part of that process would either include trading Daniel Gafford or moving him to a bench role. At least for now, it does seem as if that would be considered quite the knee-jerk move. Even as he shares duties with Lively, Gafford has been great for the Mavs (whether it's in a starting role or off the bench). As the team looks for small advantages against other contenders, their dynamic center duo could be one of them.
The last thing the Mavs need to do at the NBA Trade Deadline is to lose one of the competitive advantages that they have over other contenders. Trading Gafford would make little sense unless it would be for a completely season-altering player. At least for now, especially with how the Mavs are playing recently, trading Gafford would seem like a bad and completely unnecessary move.
Denver Nuggets
Knee-jerk move: Trading Michael Porter Jr.
Assuming the recent reporting is accurate, trading Michael Porter Jr. is something the Denver Nuggets did consider during the offseason. Ultimately, it didn't end up working out for the Nuggets, but it has to be a scenario in the back of their minds. And if the Nuggets do get desperate enough, it wouldn't be all that surprising if it's a scenario that is, at the very least, discussed once again. Do I believe that the Nuggets would actually pull the trigger on such a trade in-season? No. But if things do get worse for the team, it may be their only move to salvage their championship window.
There are many who believe the Nuggets' opportunity to win another championship with this core has passed them by. I'm not entirely there yet. That's why I believe that trading MPJ at this point would be considered a bit premature. Could there be a time when that's the right move for the Nuggets in the near future? Absolutely. However, at least for now, I don't believe that Denver has reached that point just yet.