Celtics helplessly gift Mavericks the reigning G League MVP to fill gaping hole

With the NBA entering the dog days of the season as we enter late July, the Dallas Mavericks are still making headlines with their addition of Cooper Flagg. Flagg not only showcased why he was the no-brainer first overall selection in the draft, with his performance against the San Antonio Spurs in the Las Vegas Summer League, but the team continues to search for a candidate to fill their final roster spot.

All indications are pointing to the Mavericks heading into training camp before filling their final two-way roster spot, but performances from Summer League hopefuls didn't aid Dallas in its search for possible candidates. While it's hard to expect certain players to mesh well in the Summer League instantly, the Mavericks may have found their perfect final roster spot candidate, and it may be seen as a gift to fans.

JD Davison was a college standout at the University of Alabama before spending three seasons with the Boston Celtics and barely cracking their rotation. While Davison may not have found much playing time on a championship-caliber roster such as Boston's, Davison still has the skills to impact a team at the NBA level despite being stuck on G-League deals and two-way contracts.

JD Davison could be Mavericks' missing roster piece

Entering his fourth season, Davison may finally have the chance to crack an NBA team's rotation and prove why he belongs in the league, as the Celtics just waived him after he won the NBA G League MVP last season.

While getting waived is never a good sign for a player who hasn't proven much in his time in the league, this may be the perfect opportunity for Davison to prove to the Celtics what they have been missing off the bench. At 6-foot-1, Davison came into the league as an undersized scorer but had the ability to develop into a favorable floor general who had the ability to dish passes and put the ball on the floor to score in bunches.

Davison's time with the Celtics may not have been what he was expecting, as in three seasons, he only managed to play 36 games; however, there's a high possibility Davison would have cracked Boston's rotation this season with how depleted their roster is after having to make cost-cutting moves and injuries to star players.

Now, entering year four, Davison has one more shot at signing a two-way contract before his path to the NBA gets much more complicated, and the Mavericks may be a team worthy of a conversation. With Dallas heading into training camp with an open two-way roster spot, it's clear the Mavericks didn't view any of their Summer League hopefuls highly, which may mean they are willing to sign someone like Davison to an Exhibit-10 contract for training camp.

Lasting the entirety of a team's training camp on an Exhibit-10 contract his hard enough, but Davison may be the perfect high-profile athlete to raise some eyebrows. As currently constructed, the Mavericks already have Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly, who can both be looked at as guards on two-way deals, but Davison has the experience to potentially be a rotational piece until Kyrie Irving returns from injury.

The Mavericks are also in need of more guard help, despite signing Nembhard after going undrafted and bringing in D'Angelo Russell, who will seemingly be the stopgap ball-handler until Irving returns. Davison not only has the perfect opportunity to spend another season in the league, but also to spend a year on a team that desperately needs a punch of offense off the bench.

It's unclear if Dallas is willing to spend their last roster spot on a guard or even sign Davison to an Exhibit-10 contract, but there's no debate that Davison belongs in the league.