Mavericks set to make long-awaited roster move

As the 2024-25 regular season winds down and the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of a positioning race for the postseason play-in tournament, having enough available players is key. The Mavericks are set to make a roster move involving two-way contract player Brandon Williams, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The roster move to convert Brandon Williams’ contract to a standard deal has been in the works for the Mavericks as they sought to add healthy bodies amid a season wrecked with injury issues. But converting Williams to a standard contract isn’t going to happen right away.

While Charania reported that the move is forthcoming, Bobby Marks of ESPN added more context to the move regarding potential salary cap issues the Mavericks must navigate.

The Mavericks have one open roster spot on their 15-man roster to convert Williams’ contract, but will not be able to sign him until Thursday due to first apron restrictions. However, the Mavericks have a need for more than one available body and come Friday they will be able to add another player under the first apron provided that they cut someone already on the roster.

Should the Mavericks opt to add two players at the end of the week, Dante Exum has been mentioned as the likely candidate to be cut. Exum had been a key reserve for the team, but suffered an ultimate season-ending hand injury early last month.

If the team does decide to add another player in addition to Williams, fellow two-way contract players Kessler Edwards and Kai Jones are the likely candidates. Both Williams and Edwards are currently unable to play as they both ran out of available games under their two-way contract. Jones has one game of eligibility remaining.

Williams has been a bright spot for the Mavericks in the games he played before using up his days. He appeared in 31 games, including two starts, at a little over 14 minutes per game. He’s averaged 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists with splits of 51.1 percent shooting from the field, 37.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Undrafted out of Arizona, Williams began his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season. The Mavericks signed Williams to a two-way contract last season, and re-signed him this past offseason.