Mavericks' bold decision to cut A.J. Lawson telegraphs next flurry of moves

On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks made their first move of the preseason.

Dallas played their first preseason game on Monday night, and they got one step closer to their roster being finalized on Tuesday as they waived A.J. Lawson. Cutting Lawson was a move that was expected to make room for Markieff Morris (but maybe not this early), and many fans speculated that the Mavs would bring Lawson back on the final two-way spot once he cleared waivers, but that doesn't look like the case based on what Jason Kidd had to say about it.

Kidd's tone and what he had to say didn't reflect the Mavs being interested in bringing him back on a two-way deal, and waiving Lawson will start a chain reaction of other moves over the next two weeks.

Mavericks' roster battle heats up after Lawson's release

With Lawson gone, there are now 20 players on the Mavericks roster, but only 18 will make the final roster. Dallas has 15 spots on the main roster along with three two-way spots. The obvious move is making sure Morris is on the 15-man roster, which has been a given for months, but other moves will be on the way shortly as well.

As things stand, assuming Morris is on the 15-man roster, there is one open roster spot on the Mavs that three players will be fighting for. This spot will be a two-way roster spot, and Kidd said the battle for this spot is going to be "interesting."

Jazian Gortman, Jamarion Sharp, and Emanuel Miller will be fighting for this final spot, while Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams are the two players who are already on two-way deals.

After one preseason game, it looks like Gortman is in the lead to snag this spot based on his play alone. Gortman dropped 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals while shooting 7-13 from the field and 4-7 from downtown, and his defense was also stellar.

He showed off his ability to full-court press, bring energy, and sit down and guard, and while he is only 6-foot-2, his peskiness and huge wingspan help him be a great defender. If the Mavs want another guard to develop, Gortman is the way to go.

If Dallas decides to go with a wing or a big, they can't go wrong with either Miller or Sharp. Miller scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting on Monday while Sharp collected a steal, a block, and two rebounds. Sharp likely won't bring a ton offensively at the NBA level, but his size alone allows him to be a deadly shot blocker.

The start of the regular season inches closer every day, and now that Lawson is gone, the Mavs are slowly starting to finalize what their roster is going to look like for the regular season. It could end up being a dogfight for this final spot, and Mavs fans are invested in this storyline heading into the rest of the preseason.