Longtime Mavericks veteran may be nearing the end of his Dallas run

The role player who spends over a decade with one NBA team is a dying breed. We rarely see bench players stick it out with one organization for more than a few years anymore, for a variety of reasons. Dwight Powell is the exception to that rule, as the backup center has been with the Dallas Mavericks since the 2014-15 season.

Now 34 years old, the veteran big man has played 742 games with the Mavs, only being a full-time starter in the 2021-22 season, otherwise coming off the bench. He's seldom averaged over 20 minutes per game in a season, and has only averaged over 10 points once in a season.

Powell's tenure has been so long, though, that he still holds some pretty stunning accolades within the franchise. He's No. 5 in Mavs history in games played, No. 9 in rebounds, and No. 6 in fouls (use 'em if you got 'em). For a lifetime role player to pop up so often on the team's all-time lists is pretty rare, and Powell should always be loved in Big D.

But as the team enters a rebuild — or at least a restructure — we may be watching the final few months of Powell's Mavs career.

Dwight Powell's time in Dallas could be winding down

This is purely a gut feeling, to be fair. Plus, Powell's time with the Mavs has appeared to be winding down multiple times in the past, only for the team to bring him back because, well, why not? Teams always need backup centers, and Powell will never break the bank.

But Powell's contract expires in the summer, and the team is clearly heading in a younger direction after trading Anthony Davis and letting rookie Cooper Flagg run the show. There's lots of work to be done in the offseason, and signing Powell may not be at the top of the Mavs to-do list.

There's been a strange comfort in knowing that Dwight Powell would always be there to provide pretty much the exact same thing he's provided for over a decade. Solid defense, a few baskets per game. He's survived multiple eras of Mavs basketball; who's to say he won't survive even more roster turnover?

Whatever the case, Powell has become the ultra-unheralded franchise mainstay through good and bad, and deserves some props for that. So here you go, Dwight, I am giving you your props.