Dusty May isn't closing the door on Mavericks making once-unlikely Dwight Powell move

With one preseason game remaining, the Dallas Mavericks still have a roster move to make. With 16 players on standard contracts, someone is going to have to go.

Dallas will either have to make a consolidation trade or waive a player to get their standard roster down to 15 players, and the possibility of Dwight Powell remaining on the team is still at large with less than a week left until the regular season.

Dusty May didn't confirm or deny whether Dwight Powell will stay

Dusty May was asked about how close Powell is to forcing himself onto the Mavericks' 15-man roster for the regular season on Wednesday night before the Mavs took on the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. While he refrained from going into too much depth, he left the door open for the 35-year-old big man to stick around.

"Those questions I can’t answer," May said. "You just spoke of Masai (Ujiri) and Mike Schmitz. Those are the decisions those guys make...Dwight has been very valuable so far to us. I think it’s evident, when he’s on the floor, we function well. It’s been a joy to get to know him and be around him."

May later said that he will give his opinion on this matter when asked about it, and if his opinion carries serious weight, there's a good chance that we see DP back in Mavericks blue for the regular season.

Coach May has been very complimentary of Powell's game, as he likes how the offense flows when he's in the game. May believes that Powell makes everyone around him better, and while it once seemed extremely unlikely that Dwight would make the roster, he's in a good spot ahead of next week.

Dallas faces a difficult decision with Powell

Before the preseason and hearing May talk about Powell, it was assumed that there was a very slim chance he would make the roster. DP is 35 years old, 16 years older than Cooper Flagg, and his on-court fit on a future-focused team that is building around a teenager didn't make much sense.

Combine this with the fact that Dallas would have to cut someone to keep him, and it makes such a decision even more improbable. Moussa Cisse is someone who Mavs fans have speculated could be waived to keep Powell, but the risk of this move outweighs the reward.

Even though Dwight may be more ready to contribute right now, Moose's potential and long-term upside can't be overlooked. He was extremely impactful as a rookie, averaging 11.5 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes. Cisse impacted the game with his rim protection, athleticism, and hustle, and he displayed the tools to be a strong rim-rolling center if he continues to grow on the offensive end and improve his touch around the basket.

Moving on from Cisse would be an extremely bold move after seeing how well he played as a rookie, but it's certainly not impossible considering that Powell is still on the roster. The Mavericks have a hard decision to make over the next week, and with May's endorsement of Powell and him leaving the opportunity open for him to be on the team, don't be too surprised if No. 7 plays his 13th season in the NBA for Dallas.

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