Wizards' baffling move gifts Mavericks a perfect two-way weapon for final roster spot

While the Dallas Mavericks have presumably finished most of their offseason business following the signing of Dante Exum, Dallas could still make a trade to shed one more player in lieu of making room for Exum, and the Mavericks still have the third of their two-way slots available ahead of the start of next season.

Dallas had some impressive showings from some of their own talent on their Summer League roster, as someone like Maxwell Lewis could be a candidate to get the last two-way spot, but the Mavericks have to look across the league to determine their best course of action here, as their are plenty of other players who had solid Summer League stints and there are even some young flyers that teams are punting on early.

Such is the case with Blake Wesley, as the 22-year-old guard was waived by the Washington Wizards following being shipped there earlier this summer in a deal for the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Kelly Olynyk. Wesley is an intriguing young guard who is wiry and has great quick-twitch instincts, as he defends well at his position and is a blur offensively in dribble-hand-off scenarios and in transition.

Mavericks should sign Blake Wesley with last two-way slot

With Dallas' need for guards at an all-time high with Kyrie Irving's timetable to return next season being largely unknown, Wesley would be a great addition to Dallas' guard corps, especially since he is still so young and has room to grow after being dumped for roster-building purposes in Washington. With Dallas not having an available standard roster spot, they should sign Wesley to a two-way deal. stacking their two-way slots with all guards could be an option, as it will be the most dire position to try and fill with Irving's absence next season.

Wesley's shooting percentages have been up-and-down throughout his time in the league thus far, and his career has been loaded with inconsistent playing time in what's been a loaded San Antonio backcourt, as he averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 assists per game last season off shooting splits of 43.5/29.3/62.3. Wesley averaged just 11.8 points per game for the Spurs last season, which isn't the route a former 2022 first-round pick (25th pick) would hope to be running into just three seasons in the league, but Wesley must improve his shooting to be a valuable guard at the NBA level.

Wesley's athletic ability and size at 6-foot-3 help him be a solid point-of-attack defender, and he's one of the best straight-line drivers in the league offensively, but he has to diversify his offensive game a little more to survive as NBA guard, unless he's someone who buys into being a complete disruptor as a perimeter defender like Kriss Dunn.

However, Wesley's overall fluidity in his offensive game points toward the adjustments he needs to make being more mentally based compared to something he needs to tweak mechanically on that side of the ball, as he has a solid handle and could potentially blossom with a consistent role, which is something he never had in San Antonio. Wesley wouldn't revolutionize Dallas' guard rotation by any means, but he'd be another option in the two-way slot that could pick up steam if injuries happen in the rotation, which wasn't a pedestrian sight for the Mavericks last season even after Irving's torn ACL.