Mavericks fan-favorite center's time in Dallas is sadly a ticking time bomb

The biggest regular season game in Dallas Mavericks history is just a few days away, as Dallas will battle Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. This game is bound to be filled with action, as this is the first time that Doncic has returned to Dallas since the trade went down at the beginning of February.

On top of the drama that comes with Doncic's homecoming game, the Mavericks are fighting hard for playoff positioning, as they dropped to the No. 10 seed in the West last night after the Sacramento Kings pulled off a shocking upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers. All signs were pointing to Dallas having a great shot at securing the No. 9 seed and home-court advantage in the first game of the Play-In Tournament, but the odds of that happening aren't looking as promising after this weekend.

Dallas dropped back-to-back games against the LA Clippers on Friday and Saturday, and it's clear that they need some help heading into the postseason. Nico Harrison has some roster moves to make over the next few days, and that includes filling the team's open roster spot.

Fate may force Mavericks to cut ties with fan-favorite center

After trading away four players at the trade deadline while only bringing back three, the Mavericks have an open roster spot to use beginning on April 10. Fans have been speculating about who Harrison will look to sign with this open roster spot, and the team's current roster construction could end up spelling disaster for one of Dallas' fan favorites. It looks like his time in Dallas is quickly unraveling due to a harsh reality he can't control, and Mavs fans will be wishing that things were different.

Kai Jones' Mavs tenure started with a bang, as he finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and one block against the Sacramento Kings. Jones became a fan favorite quickly in Dallas due to his wild athleticism and giving something for fans to cheer about over the last few weeks, but things are not trending in his direction.

While he has remained productive, his output has dropped off as of late. Last week, Jones only played two minutes against the Kings, and considering Dereck Lively II, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford are back in the lineup, it doesn't make as much sense to sign Jones to a standard deal.

The Mavericks' center room has quickly become their biggest strength now that Lively II, Gafford, and Davis are healthy, and that leaves Jones as the odd man out. In a perfect world, the Mavericks would be able to make moves to ensure that Brandon Williams, Kessler Edwards, and Jones are all on the playoff roster, but by the looks of things now, they'll only be able to keep two of them (if they cut Dante Exum), with Williams and Edwards being the frontrunners.

Williams has looked like a lock to sign a standard deal with Dallas for weeks now, as his production skyrocketed last month. He averaged 16.6 points and 4.5 assists per game in March, and this was easily the best stretch of his career. Williams was looking like someone who could play rotational minutes in Dallas, even once the team was fully healthy, with the way he was playing, and he seems to be a lock to be signed by Dallas later this week.

Edwards is also a strong candidate to receive a standard deal from the Mavericks due to their need for more perimeter defense, consequently putting him higher on the totem pole than Jones when it comes to contracts.

Unfortunately, it seems like the stars are aligning for Jones to not be on the playoff roster for the Mavericks (if they don't elect to sign him), but that doesn't mean this is the end of the road for him. Dallas could try to sign him this summer, and he would quickly become one of the better third-string centers in the NBA if the Mavs were able to get their hands on him.