Mavericks' obsessive loyalty to beloved veteran is quietly costing them big time

After a long wait, the Dallas Mavericks' season is finally here after tipping off preseason action against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a massive win earlier this week. While results don't matter in the long run during preseason, as a team, the Mavericks looked great, especially with rookie Cooper Flagg on the floor with the starting unit.

With plenty of eyes on the Mavericks and Flagg until the season officially starts on October 22, the Mavericks are still likely one move away from finalizing their regular-season roster. There's no doubt that the popular transaction among fans would be to dump Dante Exum to sign Dennis Smith Jr. or Dalano Banton, but the most likely move for the Mavericks to make would be to cut Brandon Williams, as he is on a non-guaranteed contract (even though this may be improbable).

The case for keeping both Williams and Exum, however, would outweigh any reason to get rid of the two players to create roster space. With this in mind, the Mavericks may need to explore ways of getting fan-favorite center Dwight Powell off their books eventually, no matter how controversial the move would be for Nico Harrison.

Mavericks are once again riding and dying with Dwight Powell

Over the last turn of the decade, one that has remained as a constant with the Mavericks and that has been the presence of Powell, no matter how bad the fan-favorite has been at times on the court. Until acquiring Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in the 2023-24 NBA season, Powell was a mainstay as the Mavericks' starting five, which proved over and over again to be a failure.

While the Mavericks have relied less on Powell over the last two or three seasons, the team needs to finally catch a grip of their current situation and quit wasting a roster spot with Powell. There's no doubt that Powell is an amazing teammate and a great figure to have in the locker room, but the Mavericks have already stretched and waived a young talent like Olivier-Maxence Prosper at the expense of Powell, who will provide little value on the court.

Getting rid of Powell would be a controversial move in it's right as he is currently one of the longest-tenured players to remain with the same team, but Harrison must make the move a reality before it's once again too late. Against the Thunder, Powell was solid, as he put up seven points and seven rebounds, but he may not even get the chance to get real minutes next season since he's behind Lively II and Daniel Gafford.

Given the Mavericks' current situation, where they may need to make yet another roster move if they are serious about signing Banton or even Smith Jr., the best move would be to think about dumping Powell in a trade. The Mavericks are still under plenty of monetary restrictions, especially after waiving and stretching Prosper, so the Mavericks may look to trade a player where they could get off money and open a roster spot quickly, as cutting someone on a guaranteed deal would prevent them from signing someone else to a veteran's minimum contract.

While Powell has made a name for himself off the floor in Dallas, the Mavericks are clearly shifting their focus to youth and winning around Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Flagg at the helm. Powell is clearly a great player in the locker room, but not someone you expect to win a championship with in a huge role.