Mavericks waive promising young wing to make room for sneaky move

The Dallas Mavericks' 2023-24 season and run to the NBA Finals was a season that fans will remember forever, but some fans forget about how close the team was to making a move that could have improved their chances of taking down the Boston Celtics.

After a busy trade deadline that included Dallas trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, the Mavs ended up having an open roster spot. After missing out on Spencer Dinwiddie, they converted A.J. Lawson's two-way contract to a standard deal, and that allowed them to sign Alex Fudge to a two-way deal.

Fudge flashed his defensive potential for the South Bay Lakers, but once he got to the Mavs, he never made much of an impact. He only appeared in two games, and his performance in the G League wasn't the most impressive either. Fudge had the tools to be good, but he never fully panned out in Dallas or while playing for the Texas Legends.

Mavericks waive Alex Fudge to make room to sign Kessler Edwards

Fudge ended up playing for the Mavs in this year's Summer League, and despite it looking like he could end up landing a roster spot with a strong showing, he didn't leave his mark. Dallas ended up cutting Fudge on Thursday, and this was to help make an even bigger move official.

With waiving Fudge, Dallas' signing of Kessler Edwards to a two-way deal was made official. The Mavs signing Edwards is undoubtedly one of the best two-way signings of the summer, and he has the potential to morph into an elite role player for the Mavs one day.

Last season for the Sacramento Kings, Edwards averaged 1.7 points per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from downtown. Edwards never had much of a consistent role, but the potential was there.

Standing at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Edwards has the same type of frame that Fudge has, but he has the skill to go along with it. Edwards' 3-point jumper is smooth, and he has also shown flashes as an occasional scorer off the dribble who can finish at the rim or with a pull-up jump shot.

While Edwards' offensive game is growing, the other end of the floor is where he makes his money. Edwards was sometimes assigned with tough defensive assignments while playing for the Kings last year, and he held his own against some of the league's best.

Edwards is as versatile as they come, and he is the perfect definition of a 3-and-D wing. His quickness allows him to effectively guard wings and some guards in open space, and he makes it hard for whoever he is guarding.

While cutting Fudge likely closes the book on him returning to the Mavs, it allowed them to make an extremely sneaky move to sign Edwards. He has the potential to join Dallas' rotation sooner rather than later, and he could end up developing into someone the Mavs have around for years to come.

Edwards is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and if he balls out during the first half of the regular season, then maybe Dallas will consider making room for him to have a standard deal. There is no way that Edwards should be on a two-way deal considering his skill, and the Mavs' sneaky move of signing him to a two-way contract this summer could pay dividends quickly.