Dallas Mavericks already dealt big injury blow to start training camp

Gafford signed a three-year $54 million extension during the offseason, which was the highest he could sign for while still being trade eligible. That led some to believe he could be on the move soon, but that has yet to happen. Instead, the Mavericks will continue to roll into the season with their center duo of Gafford and Dereck Lively II, if they can stay healthy.

And health has been the biggest question mark for the Mavs for the last year or so. They were one of the most injured teams in the NBA last year, and the center rotation was no exception. Gafford missed 35 games last season, most of them due to a sprained MCL near the end of the year. He had been a pretty durable player in the years prior, but that MCL injury was a setback, and now he's dealing with a sprained ankle before the season even starts.

Dallas Mavericks Looking to Shake Injury Bug

The Mavericks entered training camp mostly healthy. Kyrie Irving was still recovering from his torn ACL, but everyone else, according to Coach Kidd, was cleared for participation. That was big news to Mavs fans after they saw a beaten and battered team take the floor last season and still had question marks entering the season.

Most of those questions centered around Anthony Davis, who had a procedure this offseason to repair a detached retina, and Dereck Lively II, who had bone spurs removed a few months ago after a stress fracture last season.

Ankle injuries were also an issue last season. Jaden Hardy sprained his right ankle on four separate occasions last season, while P.J. Washington battled through an ankle injury early in the season that he admitted he returned too soon from.

The Mavs' training staff saw a lot of criticism last year after Nico Harrison dismissed the well-respected Casey Smith as the team's head athletic trainer a few years ago. That led to him letting go of the new head athletic trainer, Dionne Calhoun, this offseason.