Dallas Mavericks sign Antonius Cleveland to two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks signed summer league standout and former 10-day contract holder with the Mavs, Antonius Cleveland, to a two-way contract for this coming season.

With the news that the Dallas Mavericks had waived one of last year’s two-way players, Kostas Antetokounmpo, all Mavs fans knew that there would be a new name snagging a two-way deal. This assumption was found to be true last night as Tim Cato of The Athletic announced Dallas was planning on signing Antonius Cleveland to a two-way deal.

For those who may not remember, this is not Cleveland’s first stint with the Dallas Mavericks. In the 2017-18 season the Mavs signed Cleveland to a 10-day contract, which they extended multiple times. During that stint, Cleveland was not a high minute player, but Carlisle did use him as a defensive wing.

Although he was only here for a short time, Cleveland did make an impression on Mavs fans. He proved he could be a reliable defender, which at the time was more than enough reason to keep him around. He ended up getting released by the Mavericks after he got injured in his final game with the team. The Atlanta Hawks later picked him up for a short stint.

Cleveland was definitely one of the best players for the Mavs during the Las Vegas summer league. He, Cameron Payne and Josh Reaves were the primary reasons Dallas made it into the top 8 teams prior to the tournament. Payne ended up signing with the Toronto Raptors and Mavs fans are still waiting to hear what happens with Reaves.

Cleveland will be splitting time between the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Legends this year with his two-way deal. He will bring some experience and energy to the Legends, but I also would not be surprised if he gets some time with the Mavs, especially if there are any injuries this year. He is not going to be a huge impact player on offense, but his defense will always be useful.

The Mavericks have one unannounced roster spot and one unannounced two-way deal still to go before the roster is completely filled out. Isaiah Roby, Josh Reaves, Daryl Macon, Devin Harris, Salah Mejri and several others are still waiting for a call to see how they will be used or where they will be playing next year.