Mavericks' upcoming move to finalize 15-man roster is abundantly clear

The Dallas Mavericks officially have 21 players on their training camp roster, and basketball will be back in DFW in less than a month.

Media day is set for later this month, and Dallas' first preseason game is on October 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Mavs have had their shortest offseason in recent memory considering they played all the way until June last season, and there are a couple of questions Dallas must answer before training camp.

The biggest of those questions is who will take Dallas' final spot on the 15-man roster.

As things stand now, Dallas only has 14 players on fully guaranteed deals. A.J. Lawson is on a non-guaranteed deal, and it seems like his fate is sealed now that the Mavs have officially re-signed Markieff Morris to a non-guaranteed deal.

Dallas will likely waive Lawson to make room for Morris

The most obvious move that Dallas will likely make before the start of the regular season to finalize their 15-man roster is to waive Lawson to make room for Morris. Lawson has been speculated as someone who could get waived to make room for Morris for weeks now, and all signs are pointing to Morris being on the opening night roster for Dallas.

There was never a doubt in Morris' head when it came to where he'd be playing this season as he was intent on returning to Dallas all summer long. There was undoubtedly mutual interest between Morris and the Mavericks for a reunion, and it looks like he'll be on Dallas' roster for the regular season unless something abnormal happens.

Last season for Dallas, Morris averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting 35.7 percent from downtown, but his real value came during the time that he wasn't in the game. Morris is always coaching his teammates up from the sidelines, and he emerged as an excellent veteran leader last season.

He was one to speak up in the locker room when things got tough, and he even spoke to the team before the start of the playoffs. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving always speak highly of Morris whenever they're given the chance, and he is an underrated glue guy for this team considering the impact he makes from the bench.

He is one of the greatest leaders Dallas has had during the Luka era, and all signs are pointing to him being on the 15-man roster to begin the regular season. To do this, they'd have to waive Lawson to make room, but they could consider bringing him back on a two-way deal after he clears waivers.

All of these decisions won't be finalized for multiple weeks, but expect to see Markieff Morris on the Mavs' 15-man roster to begin the 2024-25 season.