Daniel Gafford was upgraded from day-to-day to cleared on the Friday, Oct. 16 injury report, making him available for Dallas' season opener against the Hawks. He had carried the day-to-day tag since Wednesday for rest, and the report gave no further detail on the move.
What happened
The Mavericks first listed Daniel Gafford as day-to-day on their Wednesday, Oct. 14 injury report, citing rest. On Friday, Oct. 16 at 6:45 p.m. ET, the team updated his status to cleared, removing the day-to-day tag just over an hour before Dallas' season opener against the Hawks at 8 p.m. ET. The report did not list a specific injury detail or add a comment explaining the decision. No expected return date was attached to the update, since cleared means he is available to play.
What it means for the Mavericks
Gafford is set to play in Dallas' opener against the Hawks on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Last season, he averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.7 minutes across 55 games for the Mavericks. In games without him, Dallas has leaned on Anthony Davis (31.3 minutes, 20.4 points) and Cooper Flagg (33.5 minutes, 21.0 points) up front, with P.J. Washington (31.0 minutes, 14.2 points) and Marvin Bagley III (21.4 minutes, 11.0 points) also seeing extended time. The Mavericks are 0-0, since the 2026-27 season has not started, so there is no record yet with or without him.
What to watch
Gafford's cleared status means no further timeline is needed for now, and no return date has been announced. The next injury report will show whether he stays available for Dallas' following game. Several other Mavericks remain day-to-day, including Max Christie, Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama, so the injury report is worth checking again before tip-off of each upcoming game.
Is Daniel Gafford playing vs. Hawks?
Yes. Gafford was cleared on the Friday, Oct. 16 injury report, upgraded from day-to-day, and is available for Dallas' 8 p.m. ET opener against Atlanta.
When will Daniel Gafford be back?
He is already back. The Mavericks cleared him on Oct. 16, and he is set to play in the season opener against the Hawks that night.