Mavericks dump 7-footer to make room for high-flying former first-rounder

The Dallas Mavericks are in a bit of a rough stretch recently, as they have now lost three of their last four games by a combined score of 47 points. Dallas is scrambling to get healthy, but not much is seeming to go their way in that department (outside of Caleb Martin nearing a return).

Dallas' big man trio of Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Anthony Davis is expected to be reevaluated on March 6, and with all three of them out, the Mavs have been forced to lean on a different trio of big men that no one would have expected.

Kessler Edwards got his fair share of run at the five and even started, Moses Brown dominated at center for four games after signing a 10-day contract, and the team signed Kylor Kelley to a two-way deal to provide some stability.

Mavericks waive Kelley, clearing space for athletic former Clipper

Kelley didn't get much playing time over the month he spent in Dallas, and the Mavericks are moving on as of early on Sunday morning. According to an NBA source, Dallas plans to waive Kelley to make room for their next planned two-way signing, Kai Jones. Jones was selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks (and immediately traded to the Charlotte Hornets) after spending two years at the University of Texas.

This move was expected after it was reported that the team planned to sign Jones, as Edwards is still a major part of the rotation and the team has always coveted Brandon Williams. It also doesn't help Kelley's case that he didn't get to play much, but at the end of the day, he got some NBA experience, making his debut in the association at the end of last month.

Now that Kelley is gone and Jones is on the squad, the Mavericks land a more polished big man who has more of an NBA-ready skill set than Kelley. Jones has played in 95 NBA games over the last few years, including 28 games for the LA Clippers this season, and has put up averages of 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 60 percent from the field. He gives the Mavericks another good athlete to run the five, and his playstyle should fit well in Dallas.

He runs the floor hard, finishes strong above the rim, and is a good vertical threat in the pick and roll. Jones' athleticism sticks out immediately when watching him play, and outside of flashy dunks on the offensive end, he is also a good shot blocker and solid defender.

Jones may not have the strength to battle down low and on the glass with strong physical bigs, but he is a decent shot blocker from the help side and his quickness allows him to switch some when needed. This should make him someone who Jason Kidd can rely upon to play real minutes over the next few weeks until the other bigs can get healthy, and they are truly trying everything when it comes to finding someone who can carry the load at the five for the time being.

Dallas found a diamond in the rough with Brown, and they'll be hoping for the same impact from Jones once he arrives in Dallas. It's going to be a much different look from when they had the 7-foot-2 Brown roaming the paint, but energy and effort combined with Jones' ability to finish above the rim and use his athleticism to his advantage may be enough to lean on him for rotational minutes.