Report: Mavericks officially waive 3-time NBA Champion center

Noah Weber

Sacramento Kings v Dallas Mavericks / Ron Jenkins/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks training camp roster gets more complete by the week, and their most recent move came on Tuesday afternoon.

This move was inevitable, as the Mavs were trying to cut or trade him all summer, and the Mavs finally waived JaVale McGee.

Dallas' plans of waiving him were reported on August 22 an they made it official today.

Report: Mavericks officially waive 3-time NBA Champion center

This was McGee's second stint in Dallas, as the Mavs signed him to a three-year deal last summer. Dallas was expecting him to be their starting center for the next few years, but he never lived up to that.

In 42 games for Dallas, McGee averaged 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game. His game regressed tremendously after a previous productive season with the Phoenix Suns, and Dallas likely regrets ever bringing him back.

McGee was awful in the minutes that he did play and became unplayable in Dallas. He couldn't move his feet in open space, got winded quickly, and was not good on defense. The Mavs brought him in to be their defensive anchor, and he was the complete opposite.

Now that the waiving of McGee is official, the Mavs' center room is at three players. Although Maxi Kleber plays minutes at center, Dallas' main center rotation is Dwight Powell, Richaun Holmes, and Dereck Lively II (in no particular order).

The Mavs are going with the "center platoon" strategy that they've used for the past few years (barring them making a move for a new center). Even though the Mavs drafted Lively II with the No. 12 overall pick, the starting center spot still looks to be the biggest weakness on their roster.

McGee will likely receive interest on the free agent market quickly and could end up signing with a contender.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding JaVale McGee and the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.