The Dallas Mavericks' center depth has finally become their strength, as Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford have returned to the floor just in time for the team's push for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Davis dominated on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 34 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, but Dallas' center room didn't always look this scary.
Dallas was scrambling for answers at the end of January after all of their centers were out with injuries outside of Gafford, and they ended up signing 7-foot center Kylor Kelley to a two-way deal after waiving Jazian Gortman. Kelley ended up being the only healthy center on the roster for some time, but the Mavericks ended up cutting him at the beginning of March to bring on Kai Jones.
Mavericks fans wished that they got to see more from Kelley during his time in Dallas, as he flashed potential at times and had incredible size, but Jason Kidd elected to roll out Kessler Edwards as his starting big over Kelley when everyone else went down.
Kelley never had much of a consistent role with Dallas, as it didn't seem like Jason Kidd fully trusted him despite them needing center depth badly, but he is going to have the chance to earn a new head coach's trust very soon elsewhere.
Pelicans plan to sign Kylor Kelley to 10-day deal
According to a source familiar with the situation, the New Orleans Pelicans are planning on signing Kelley to a 10-day deal. The Pelicans' frontcourt depth has definitely taken some blows this season, and Kelley heads to New Orleans with the chance to finish the season there and prove that he deserves a standard contract on a team next season.
Kelley was excited about his opportunity when he signed with the Mavericks earlier this season, and he'll bring that same excitement to a struggling Pelicans team for the next week and a half.
While the Pelicans aren't playing for anything at this point, as they are one of two teams that have already been eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference, this should be the perfect chance for Kelley to showcase his worth ahead of the offseason. He'll be motivated to give it all he has, as this is his second chance to play in the NBA this season (not including a training camp stint with the Los Angeles Lakers), and he should have the chance to receive playing time right away.
Kelley returned to the South Bay Lakers after being waived by Dallas earlier this season, and his paint presence continued to shine. His pure size, rebounding, shot blocking, and inside scoring have been the staples of his game in the G League this season, propelling him to be one of the best bigs in the G League, and his strong showing with South Bay has led to this opportunity for him to shine for the Pelicans.