Dallas Mavericks sign former Lakers wing to contract to fill open roster spot

On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks took a bad loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dallas was at home, the Sixers remained without Joel Embiid, and everyone on the Mavs was healthy. Despite all of this, Dallas lost 120-116, and their fourth-quarter comeback wasn't enough to earn them a win.

A lack of energy led to this, and the Mavs wasted no time after the game before making a roster move.

Dallas Mavericks sign former Lakers wing to contract to fill open roster spot

The Mavs converted A.J. Lawson's two-way contract to a standard contract to fill their 15-man roster. This move created an open two-way spot on the Mavs, and today was the final day that players could sign two-way contracts with teams.

According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Mavs are signing former Los Angeles Lakers wing Alex Fudge to a two-way deal. Fudge was playing with the South Bay Lakers this season as well since he was on a two-way contract in Los Angeles, and now the Mavs have another wing on their roster.

Fudge only appeared in four games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but he was productive defensively in the G League while playing for South Bay. This season in the G League, Fudge is averaging 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.

Fudge's offensive stats don't pop, but 1.6 blocks per game as a wing is impressive. He has a 7-foot wingspan and can play both the power forward and small forward positions. Fudge is also a good athlete and a solid scorer in transition. He is an underrated lob threat, but his 3-point shooting has been shaky this season.

Adding a defensive-minded forward to this Mavs team was a good idea, but if he gets any run, it'll only be in the regular season since players under two-way contracts are not eligible for the playoffs. The Mavs' defense has been awful since the All-Star break, even with the boost that P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have provided, and maybe Fudge could develop into someone who is in Dallas' rotation one day.

For all the latest on Alex Fudge and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.

Every move matters during Dallas's playoff push and you can cash in on their efforts thanks to FanDuel. All you have to do is sign up, deposit $10 or more and then bet $5 or more on Dallas to beat Indiana. If the Mavs win, you'll get $150 in bonus bets! Sign up with FanDuel with this The Smoking Cuban link today.