Dallas Mavericks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (thumb) will play on Saturday versus Oklahoma City. Irving missed several games recently because of a sprained thumb. Although he's appeared on the injury report since returning for the February 5 meeting with Philly, he's been out there. Not only that, but Irving has played at a quality level in the last three games, so fantasy managers can confidently keep the former Net in the starting lineup.

According to Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, guard Max Christie (ankle) underwent an MRI. The 20-year-old, who's already been ruled out for Friday's meeting with the Pelicans, tweaked his right ankle during Thursday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets. The team is still awaiting the results, and the medical staff will examine him on Friday night. Christie has averaged 5.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 43 games this season. He's not a reliable fantasy asset. But Christie has started seven times during the 2023-24 campaign, so the streaming potential is there. Unfortunately, it appears he could miss time, potentially sitting out until after the All-Star break.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Raptors plan to waive guard Spencer Dinwiddie. The veteran was traded to Toronto ahead of Thursday's deadline, ending his second stint with the Brooklyn Nets. Although he has had a down year up to this point, primarily due to the emergence of Cam Thomas, he still had more than a few solid outings for fantasy managers. Dinwiddie has averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.1 assists in 514 regular season games. The 30-year-old probably won't remain without a team for long, and he'll likely land a routine role in a rotation wherever he ends up. Managers in all formats should keep Dinwiddie on the roster for now, considering his numbers could improve moving ahead.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (thumb) is officially available ahead of Thursday's game against the New York Knicks. Irving will play after being listed as probable earlier in the day due to a right thumb sprain. Irving has played significant minutes lately and it doesn't appear that his thumb is impacting his performance. The expectation is that Irving will continue playing his normal role on Thursday. Fantasy managers can go ahead and get him back in their lineups.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday morning that the Washington Wizards were nearing a deal to send center Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks for Richaun Holmes and draft compensation. NBA correspondent Marc Stein has followed up with a report that the Mavs have since done pick swaps with the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete the trade. Gafford was crushing it down low during his first full year in D.C. without Kristaps Porzingis, generating career highs across the board on averages of 10.9 points, 8.0 boards, 2.2 swats, and 1.0 steals in 26.5 minutes per game over 45 games. Gafford will likely share minutes evenly in Dallas with upstart rookie first-rounder Dereck Lively II (nose) in the middle. While that doesn't bode well for his rest-of-season fantasy outlook, Gafford has a chance to start in his team debut, which should arrive in Saturday's showdown with OKC.