Jason Kidd's cryptic quote suggests Mavericks will avoid juicy fan-favorite move

The Dallas Mavericks began the preseason on Monday night, and there were plenty of positives to take away from their narrow loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dereck Lively II showed more growth than fans could have ever expected, and Jazian Gortman's all-around skills at the point guard position displayed that he is right in the hunt for the Mavs' final roster spot.

He was drilling threes off the catch and off the dribble, getting to the rim, and playing sound defense, and he gave his all on both ends of the floor. While Gortman's performance illustrated that he'll be someone that Jason Kidd and the Mavs consider for the final two-way roster spot, it looks like Dallas won't be exploring taking a path that many fans wanted them to explore.

The Mavs waived A.J. Lawson on Tuesday afternoon, and while this move was expected to make room for Markieff Morris on the 15-man roster, some fans speculated that the Mavs could waive Lawson and sign him back to the final two-way spot while keeping Morris.

Kidd's quote hints that Mavs won't bring back Lawson on two-way deal

This move seemed like it would be the best of both worlds as the Mavs would be able to keep their veteran leader in Morris while also spending one more year developing Lawson, but when diving into Kidd's quote after practice on Tuesday, it looks like both sides will be heading their separate ways for good.

Kidd issuing Lawson a farewell while saying that "management had to make a decision," doesn't seem very promising when thinking about the possibility of him returning to the Mavs after he clears waivers, and it doesn't help that Kidd seemed high on Gortman after the game on Monday night. Re-signing Lawson to a two-way deal after he cleared waivers would be an out-of-the-ordinary move that could have caught many around the league by surprise, but fans may need to take off their tinfoil hats now.

Kidd said that the battle for the final roster spot is going to be "interesting," and while he mentioned Jamarion Sharp, Lawson, and Kessler Edwards as candidates who could get the final two-way spot, it doesn't seem like Lawson is going to be in that conversation anymore.

The Mavs could still bring back Lawson once he clears waivers, but from what Kidd said, it seems unlikely when looking at his tone and the way he talked about Lawson's situation. Bringing back Lawson with this final two-way spot (assuming he'd get cut to make room for Morris) was a move that many fans liked the thought of before the preseason, but this dream scenario for fans may not have the chance to turn into a reality.

Gortman's performance on Monday night was strong enough for him to earn that final roster spot, and if the Mavs decide to go with someone who isn't an undersized guard (since Brandon Williams is already on a two-way deal), they could consider Sharp or Emanuel Miller.

Miller finished with 11 points on 4-5 shooting from the field, and if the Mavs elect to add some more wing depth, he could end up being the clear-cut choice.