The Dallas Mavericks waived A.J. Lawson from his non-guaranteed deal on Tuesday, leading to speculation on what the Mavs might do with their final two-way contract. With how well Jazian Gortman played Monday night against the Grizzlies, he was a contender to use that final slot.
Instead, the Mavericks decided to bring back Lawson, the fourth-year player out of South Carolina, as their final two-way contract. Lawson has appeared in 56 games in Dallas, including scoring a career-high 17 points against the Spurs last season. He was originally on a two-way contract with the Mavs last season, but after their deals at the trade deadline left a roster spot open, they decided to sign him to a four-year, non-guaranteed contract.
The Mavs will have a big decision to make if Gortman keeps playing as well as he showed on Monday night. They currently have Lawson, Kessler Edwards, and Brandon Williams signed as their two-way contracts, but we’ve yet to see Edwards or Williams play in the preseason due to various injuries. Given the injury to Dante Exum, who will be out for at least three months due to wrist surgery, it may make sense to bring back a guard like Gortman.
Lawson played three seasons for the South Carolina Gamecocks and signed with the Atlanta Hawks after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. He wouldn’t appear in any games and signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2022-23 season, before being waived (for the second time by Minnesota) in December 2022. He signed with the Mavs after that and has been with them ever since.
