Nico Harrison must shatter this heartwarming Mavericks story before it's too late

In an era where every single roster spot matters, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and company have constructed a roster that is maximized at nearly every rotational spot, even though Harrison blatantly screwed up the Luka Doncic trade back in February.

While there will be plenty of concerns over how available some of Dallas' roster will be next season, the Mavericks undoubtedly have one of the most talented rosters on paper in the league, but there are still a few spots in their rotation that one could argue need to be upgraded. It's long been known that Dallas must make a consolidation trade before the end of training camp if they want to shift their roster from 16 to 15 players.

Most fans and analysts are positing that one of Jaden Hardy or Olivier-Maxence Prosper would be traded to condense the roster before training camp ends, but perhaps Harrison could go a different route and try to trade 11-year veteran big man Dwight Powell.

It's time for Nico Harrison to trade or release Dwight Powell

Powell infamously came to Dallas in the Rajon Rondo trade back in the 2014-15 season, and he's become one of the biggest fan favorites in franchise history due to his absurd work ethic and the stability he brings to the locker room with his veteran presence. Powell has always been a steward of the community for Dallas, and he will go down as one of the most beloved Mavericks of all time, but given how his on-court production has been trending the last few seasons, it might be time for Harrison to finally bite the bullet and get rid of Powell.

Objectively speaking, Powell is probably the worst player on the Mavericks right now, and he undoubtedly has the lowest ceiling out of any player on the roster. Last season, Powell averaged a career-low 2.1 points and just 2.1 rebounds per game, as he only averaged 10 minutes per game in 55 games played last year.

Dallas' two-way contract signee from last season in Kai Jones vastly outplayed Powell down the stretch, but because Dallas doesn't have another roster spot available at the moment, they will likely be unable to bring back Jones since he's no longer eligible to sign another two-way deal because of being in the league for over four seasons.

It'd be a different story if Powell's spot on the roster wasn't sacrificing other avenues for the Mavericks to get better, but as evidenced by this past season's NBA Finals and playoffs, the deepest teams likely have the best chance to compete for a championship in this new CBA and era of parity. This isn't to say teams can't have savvy veterans at the end of the bench who are more inclined to help in the community and give advice to younger players, as James Johnson was huge for the Indiana Pacers last season, but he also brings that team an identity of toughness they otherwise wouldn't have and is far more of a vocal leader compared to Powell.

Johnson played the same type of role Markieff Morrris did in Dallas, and while Powell is a great role model for younger players to look up to as far as his work ethic is concerned, he doesn't have the same boisterous personality those guys do, and his on-court production has reached a point of limitation to where Dallas would be better off seeking a different fourth big in their rotation.

To accentuate that point, the Mavericks already have multiple veteran leaders on their team who will be prominent parts of the rotation, so they don't need someone like Johnson as much as a younger team like Indiana might have. It's without a doubt that Powell needs to be traded or released this season if Dallas wants to maximize their roster to the fullest, but all signs are pointing toward him probably staying around for yet another season at this point.