The athletic forward is the first cut of training camp
The Dallas Mavericks waived AJ Lawson, the team announced on Monday. Lawson is the first cut of Mavericks training camp, as the team attempts to finalize its roster before opening night later this month.
After Dallas re-signed Markieff Morris last month, the Mavericks needed to waive one player before Oct. 19 to stay under the first apron of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Lawson was initially a two-way player before signing a full-contract last season.
“A.J. has been great for us,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told reporters yesterday after the news was official. “Unfortunately, they waived him today. We wish him the best of luck. When you look at the athleticism, the way that he has improved, the development. He did everything we asked. There was a big jump in his game, but looking at the numbers, management had to make a decision.”
Lawson officially spent two seasons in Dallas, mostly as a two-way player. Last season he scored a career-high 17 points in a December win against the San Antonio Spurs. In the two seasons in Dallas Lawson averaged 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He first appeared with the Mavericks in 2022 for their Summer League team, and has been on the Mavericks Summer League roster the last three seasons.
A undrafted forward out of South Carolina, Lawson stuck around the Mavericks with his seemingly boundless athleticism and quickness. He’s a 3-and-D type, and his best moments in Dallas were him making spot-up threes or dunking in transition. With the Mavericks contending for a championship and the roster full of ready-now contributors, it was hard to keep Lawson going into opening night.
There’s still a chance Lawson could return to the team, as the Mavericks have one more two-way contract slot open, but training camp invites Jazian Gortman and Emanuel Miller are the likely front-runners, especially after the duo’s performance in the Mavericks first preseason game against Memphis on Sunday.