Mavericks are creeping toward another disastrous old-for-young offseason swap

The Dallas Mavericks have gained applause for how they've handled their first two two-way signings this offseason, as Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly both look like potential NBA rotation players one day after their stint at Las Vegas Summer League. However, Dallas closed last season with one of the best arrays of two-way contract players in the league, as Brandon Williams, Kessler Edwards, and Kai Jones all proved to be deserving of standard NBA deals based on how they closed the season for an injury-riddled Mavericks team.

Williams gained a standard deal with the Mavericks at the end of last season, but Jones and Edwards are still jobless heading into next season. Edwards was a steady 3-and-D wing for the Mavericks and even defended above his position at times, but Jones was far more of a showstopper as a two-way signing, and undoubtedly proved he should be an NBA rotation player somewhere. Jones shot absurdly efficiently in 12 games with Dallas last season, as he averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with shooting splits of 83.6/33.3/70.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Jones will be back in Dallas next season, as general manager Nico Harrison has already filled out Dallas' 15-man roster, and Jones isn't eligible for another two-way deal. Unless the Mavericks make a trade to relieve some salaries and contracts, they won't have enough space to sign Jones, which is extremely unfortunate given he is a much better and younger big man compared to Dwight Powell, who is set to make $4 million next season in Dallas.

Mavericks not bringing back Kai Jones is a major mistake

While Dallas has a loaded front-court, Jones proved to be a hidden gem toward the end of last season after being written off by the basketball world last summer, and he's still only 24 years old and plays with an absurd level of competitiveness and energy, which are all great reasons why he could've been a great big to keep around as Dallas enters the full Cooper Flagg experience over the next few seasons.

However, it's clear Harrison values Powell's veteran leadership more, unless he somehow trades Powell before the beginning of the next regular season, though this is unlikely considering how deep into the offseason the Mavericks already are, as the roster practically seems set barring an Olivier-Maxence Prosper or Jaden Hardy salary dump move.

Obviously, the fourth big in the rotation isn't a slot Dallas should be delegating many financial resources to, but it's undebatable that Jones would be far better suited to hold down the fort at center if Dallas suffered some injuries at that position, as he's just far and away a much more explosive player on both ends compared to Powell at this stage in his career.

While Jones could be a little less overzealous defensively, he has great strength and verticality, which will help him as he continues to develop on that end of the floor, and his offensive game looked as good as it ever had last season, as he was finishing at a high clip and even scoring in the midrange off face-ups. Jones easily proved to be Dallas' fourth-best big man last season, and he was definitely better than Dereck Lively II to close the season, even though Lively II is a better player overall and wasn't 100 percent healthy to close the season.

Jones put on a miraculous showing at the end of last season and he still has eye-popping athleticism, so it's won't be surprising if he signs with another team heading into training camp next season, but the Mavericks missed a clear opportunity to find a backup big to head into the Flagg era with by not finding a way to shed Powell in favor of Jones, especially given the fact that Jones could've stepped up as the clear backup in Dallas next season if Daniel Gafford ever got traded next year.

Hopefully, the Mavericks and Harrison can still find a way to bring Jones back to Dallas next season, but it's becoming increasingly more unlikely at this juncture of the offseason.