Mavericks are considering a risky Dwight Powell move they can't afford to make

The Dallas Mavericks officially signed Dwight Powell on Friday. The rumors of the Mavericks' longtime big man returning to Dallas were confirmed right before Media Day began at the American Airlines Center, and Powell will have the chance to fight for a roster spot ahead of training camp beginning tomorrow.

Powell being on the regular season roster is still in the picture

The Mavericks' 15-man roster is full ahead of training camp starting tomorrow, but according to Marc Stein, the Mavericks have "not ruled out trying to create a roster spot for him." While Powell's leadership, energy, and team-first attitude have been staples for him on and off the court since he was traded to the team in 2014 along with Rajon Rondo, this is a move that Dallas can't afford to make.

Dallas is building for the future

The Mavericks enter the 2026-27 season with a clear focus: building for the future around Cooper Flagg. Their 19-year-old star is on track to be one of the best young players in the NBA this season, and Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have done an excellent job of putting complementary young players around him.

The Mavs only have three players over the age of 30 on their training camp roster. Powell is the oldest player on the team at 35, with Kyrie Irving (34 years old) and Caleb Martin (30 years old) behind him. Dallas' vision of building for the future could see each of these players off the roster by the time the trade deadline rolls around, but with Irving's star power and Martin's point-of-attack defense, Powell seems like the most likely odd man out.

Especially since he’s the only player in this group who isn’t on a guaranteed contract. Of the 19 players who are on the Mavericks’ training camp roster, Powell is the only one who isn’t on a standard or two-way contract. This puts him at a natural disadvantage to stick around heading into the regular season, as the Mavs would have to make a roster move to keep him.

Klay Thompson’s departure makes a Powell return harder to justify

With Dallas' roster being full ahead of camp, the only ways that they can create a roster spot for Powell would be through a consolidation trade or cutting players. The Mavericks already bought out Klay Thompson earlier this offseason to get their roster down to 15 players on standard contracts, and parting ways with another player to make room for Powell does not seem like the most logical move.

Why would they part ways with one of the best shooters of all time to get down to 15 standard contracts just to later free up another roster spot to sign a player who has played just 12.7 minutes per game over the last three seasons? The logic here would be hard to get behind, especially since the Mavs could’ve likely gotten decent value back for Thompson via the trade market at the trade deadline due to his experience, shooting, and expiring contract.

Who could get cut to bring back Powell?

When observing the current roster, every player on the team brings on-court value. Players like Moussa Cisse, Marcus Sasser, Tarik Biberovic, and Martin have been floated by fans as options to cut to bring back Powell, but each of them brings a skill that Dallas can use while DP’s path to a role in the rotation is unlikely.

Having more dead money on their books also isn’t appetizing, especially after their move to gain more financial flexibility by trading Anthony Davis last season.

Why the Mavericks are better off keeping the roster as is

Cutting someone for Powell would definitely be risky, as each of the aforementioned players who could get cut brings a skill that the Mavericks need.

Martin brings defense. Biberovic brings knockdown 3-point shooting. Sasser gives Kyrie Irving a young backup point guard who can score at all three levels and Cisse is an energetic rim runner that Dallas shouldn’t punt on following a productive rookie season.

The Mavericks’ case for keeping each of these players over Powell and rolling with the same roster heading into the regular season is obvious, and even a consolidation trade would be a risky proposition.

Dallas has a clear choice to make with the 13th-year center with the regular season quickly approaching, but the case for moving on is far more appealing than giving up a player of value to sign Powell.

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