AJ Lawson, a shooting guard who went undrafted at the 2024 NBA Draft out of South Carolina, could lose his Dallas Mavericks roster spot. Lawson’s roster spot remains up in the air, as the Mavericks are rumored to still have interest in bringing power forward Markieff Morris back. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, AJ Lawson is the “most vulnerable player” in the event that Dallas opts to make room for Morris on the roster. Lawson was previously on a two-way contract with the Mavericks and their NBA G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, from 2022-24. The 24-year-old has an interesting ceiling, to say the least.
The Mavericks reportedly saw AJ Lawson’s potential and converted his two-way contract to an NBA contract during the 2023-24 NBA season, so the Mavericks’ move might confuse some, if not most, individuals. Read on for three potential reasons why the Mavericks would bring Morris back instead of retaining Lawson.
The lowdown on AJ Lawson
AJ Lawson, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada, native, played high school basketball at St. Marguerite d’Youville and GTA Prep before playing college basketball at South Carolina from 2018-2021. Lawson began his professional basketball career with the Atlanta Hawks NBA G League affiliate College Park Skyhawks from 2021-22. His professional basketball career hasn’t been smooth sailing so far. But his tenure in North Texas seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel for around two years. Lawson seems to be the Mavericks’ latest casualty after averaging 3.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 rebounds, along with a 44.6% field goal percentage in 2023-24.
The Mavericks can save a roster spot for him if they’d like to do so. The Mavericks’ roster is set with 15 NBA contracts. Yet, there’s a chance they’ll change their mind and then make room for Lawson, who looks NBA-ready after averaging 17.3 points per game through three games in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Markieff Morris’ impact
Markieff Morris is a free-agent power forward who last played for the Dallas Mavericks in 2023-24. Morris seems to share a mutual interest with the Mavericks’ interest in a reunion, as the latter reportedly recruited the former’s twin brother, Marcus, to Dallas, Texas. Markieff might not have wanted a reunion if it wasn’t for Marcus.
Markieff and Marcus, who are 34-year-old twin brothers and NBA players from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have two other brothers. He averaged only 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists, along with a 33.8% field goal percentage in 2023-24, but his arguably crucial leadership can make up for his shortcomings. The Mavericks’ roster doesn’t have room for both Markieff and Marcus Morris for the 2024-25 NBA season. That said, the Mavericks will likely lean towards Markieff. After all, they appear to have a huge interest in resigning Markieff.
Potential for the Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks might want to reconsider AJ Lawson over re-signing Markieff Morris. Lawson is arguably better than Markieff at the moment. In addition, Lawson’s potential has shown glimpses of his chances of being a reliable NBA player, as the Mavericks didn’t convert his two-way contract to an NBA contract for no reason.
As the Mavericks’ offseason continues, fans and media members should keep an eye on the AJ Lawson and Markieff Morris situation. Both professional basketball players would bring something to the table, but more than likely, only one will receive a new contract from the Mavericks.
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