Branden

Dawson

With the offseason additions of Brandon Bass and Brice Johnson, there was no need for Dawson to be on the roster.

Dawson was waived by the Clippers back in July after making just six brief appearances during his rookie season. It’s just a training camp deal for Dawson, but the Magic currently have two spots up for grabs on their 15-man roster and he has a decent shot to make the team.

Dawson scored six points in his preseason debut but hasn’t seen the court since Oct. 5, so his dismissal was expected.

Branden Dawson, Nick Johnson, Kevin Murphy, Arinze Onuaku and Damjan Rudez’ training camp contracts also became finalized on Thursday, but none of these guys will be impact players in fantasy hoops this upcoming season.

The Clips reportedly payed $600k to purchase Dawson’s draft rights from New Orleans. The Michigan State forward measured just 6'6" without shoes at the combine and may need to switch between PF and SF to make the transition to the NBA. His terrific athleticism and strength are big ‘pluses’ but he still faces an uphill battle to make the regular-season roster.

Dawson, the 56th overall selection in the 2015 NBA draft has had a nice showing at Summer League, compiling averages of 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game. He is a bit buried on the depth chart, playing behind Paul Pierce, Wes Johnson and Lance Stephenson, so it’s unlikely he puts up any relevant statistics during his rookie season.

He was awesome today and had a couple beautiful higlight-reel jams. The Clippers used $600K to buy the 56th pick off the Pelicans and didn’t have a first-round pick (Doc Rivers trade), so Dawson could be one of the best players for them at summer league. He’s a small forward and will have a very tough time getting minutes with the big club.

He’s been the best Clippers player in Orlando this week and he might be able to get in the mix for minutes. The Clippers have had some inconsistent small forward play and Matt Barnes is gone, so Dawson may only need Lance Stephenson to miss time in order to get in the rotation. He’s not on the fantasy radar yet, though.

Neither player will be in the rotation any time soon, and they can continue to be ignored in fantasy leagues.

The second-round pick has yet to play in a game this season, and despite the call-up, can be ignored in all fantasy leagues.