5 Dallas Mavericks who are pointless to have on the 2024-25 roster

As we inch closer to Dallas Mavericks media day next Monday, the excitement for this Mavericks season from fans is at an all-time high. It's well known that Dallas made steady upgrades to their roster this offseason by adding Quentin Grimes, Klay Thompson, and Naji Marshall, as this Mavericks team is better on paper than any Mavericks team over the past decade.

This training camp will be crucial for Dallas when one takes into consideration all of the new additions that need to be acclimated into the mix, and the intensity will likely be through the roof since the Mavericks are eager to get back to the NBA's mountain top.

With that being said, there will also be players competing for open roster spots, as the Mavericks technically have one roster spot available as well as one as one two-way spot available. The Mavericks are taking 21 players into training camp, though they only have 18 total roster spots between their three two-way slots and 15 guaranteed roster spots.

5 Dallas Mavericks who are pointless to have on the 2024-25 roster

While Dallas signed some intriguing young talent on non-guaranteed contracts this summer, some of those players will inevitably not make the Mavericks roster.

The question of who is most deserving to be on Dallas' roster is one that will be raised all throughout training camp and preseason, though only time will tell which moves around the margins Nico Harrison and Dallas' front office should make to finalize their complete 18-man roster.

5. Jamarion Sharp

7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp is one of the most tantalizing prospects heading into Mavericks training camp. Sharp boasts an absurd 7-foot-9 wingspan and moves pretty well on the court for someone his size. Sharp led all of NCAA Division I in blocks per game in his two seasons at Western Kentucky before transferring to Ole Miss last season for his senior year, as Sharp's length and instincts make him a solid rim protector.

However, Sharp is still quite a project player, as he has barely filled out his frame at only 235 pounds and didn't start playing basketball until halfway through high school. Sharp has a very limited offensive arsenal beyond his put-back ability and roll-cut game, and a player of his measurements has to be able to punish smaller defenders in the post to make it at the NBA level.

While Sharp's strength is certainly his shot-blocking, his lack of strength lessens the effectivity of that ability at the NBA level, as opposing drivers in the NBA aren't near as forgiving as they are in college. If Sharp showcased more coordination and an increased offensive repertoire during his tenure at Summer League with the Mavericks, he'd be far more of a prime candidate to warrant consideration for one of Dallas' remaining roster spots.

Unfortunately, Sharp was played off the floor in multiple instances during Summer League for Dallas despite his occasional bursts of gaudy offensive rebounding and shot-blocking, as the big man's limitations were readily apparent in five games in Las Vegas. While Sharp is an interesting prospect to bring to camp, he's pointless to have on this Mavericks roster that hopes to compete for a championship next season.

4. Emanuel Miller

Emanuel Miller was one of the more impressive players on Dallas' summer league roster that went 1-4 this past July in Las Vegas, but he'll have to compete with a very crowded pool of young wings if he wants to have a shot at making the Dallas Mavericks roster in any capacity once preseason comes to a close.

Miller was a fifth-year super senior at TCU last season, as it took a decent chunk of time for him in college to develop a three-point shot that was good enough to be on NBA radars. However, Miller displayed his 3-and-D capabilities defiantly for Dallas at Summer League in Las Vegas.

Miller has very good positional size at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, as he has the strength and length to be able to anchor down on opposing NBA wings as seen at Summer League. While Miller did improve his three-point shot to nearly 40 percent in his last two seasons at TCU, it obviously remains to be seen how well that would translate to the NBA game beyond Summer League.

It's without a doubt that Miller was one of the few bright spots on Dallas' Summer League roster, as fans were surprised with his bursts of offensive versatility and knack for winning 50-50 balls, but it's extremely unlikely Miller makes Dallas' final roster.

With Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Kessler Edwards, A.J. Lawson, and Markieff Morris all slated to be competing for deep reserve minutes in Dallas' wing rotation, it's hard to see Miller getting the opportunity to make the Mavericks roster unless he has a stellar training camp and preseason, as those aforementioned players themselves aren't even guaranteed consistent minutes whatsoever.

However, if Miller continues to impress as he did in Summer League, perhaps there's a world where he gets the Mavericks' last two-way spot, though he's pointless to have on the main roster at this current point in time.

3. Jazian Gortman

Jazian Gortman was one of the biggest surprises for the Dallas Mavericks at Summer League this past July, as Gortman's speed with the ball and quick trigger from downtown helped provide Dallas' struggling Summer League roster with consistent offensive production in spurts.

In five Summer League contests for the Mavericks, Gortman averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 assists, and shot 50 percent from outside. Gortman didn't start for Dallas' Summer League team until the third game in Las Vegas this past July, as he filled in for fellow guard Brandon Williams upon him getting injured in Dallas' second game at Summer League.

Gortman proved that he's an NBA-caliber guard at Summer League, though he'll need to work on his playmaking, ball security, and in-between game, as it will be hard for him to find a role in the league if he can't become more dynamic at only 6-foot-2. Gortman has a very solid wingspan for his height and is extremely quick laterally, so while he isn't a bad point-of-attack defender at all, his offense and one-on-one shot creation will have to be areas that he impresses in if he wants to make this Mavericks roster at all.

In the same vein as Miller, Gortman is suffering at the hands of Dallas having a complete logjam at the guard position this season, as Gortman is coming into Mavericks training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract. It's unlikely that Gortman pushes for the Mavericks final roster spot when you take into consideration that the Mavericks are already expected to bring guards Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Quentin Grimes off their bench.

There's a fringe chance Dallas may consider signing Gortman to their last two-way slot, though it's more likely that Dallas chooses one of Miller or A.J. Lawson for that spot, as the Mavericks have even more of a cluster at the guard spot than they do on the wing. Gortman is an intriguing prospect, but the Mavericks just don't seem like they'll have the room for another guard this coming season barring something catastrophic.

2. Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams was impressive for the Mavericks in limited opportunities last season but played especially well in the G-League for the Texas Legends last season. Williams is a crafty 6-foot-2 guard with three-level scoring ability, as he had multiple 30-plus point efforts for the Legends last season.

Williams has steadily improved his offensive repertoire since being in the league the last couple of seasons, as he's always had elite touch as a finisher, but has improved drastically as a pick-and-roll ball handler and off-the-dribble midrange shooter. However, Williams' 3-point shooting reaching the next stratosphere will make or break the ascension of his overall game in the league, as he shot by far the best mark of his career at 36.9 percent in 13 games with the Osceola Magic last season before heading to Dallas.

Williams has proven that he's an elite athlete for only being 6-foot-2 and his intangibles on both sides of the ball are honestly better than a decent amount of Dallas' current guards, but without being an elite defender or three-point shooter, it will be hard for him to compete for minutes in Dallas' crowded backcourt.

Williams has the makings of a guard who can come off the bench for a decent NBA team if he fine-tunes some elements of his game and he arguably would have a real role on this Mavericks team if they weren't as talented as they are.

Luckily for Williams, he's signed to a two-way contract with the Mavericks for this upcoming season, so the 24-year-old will likely spend some time with both the Mavericks and the Legends once again. However, just like Gortman, Williams is pointless to have on Dallas' main roster because of the influx of solid guard play off the bench that Dallas brought in this past summer.

1. Dwight Powell

As crazy as it sounds, Dwight Powell is entering his 11th season with the Dallas Mavericks at 33 years old. Back when Powell was a throw-in in the Rajon Rondo trade in late 2014, almost no one saw him panning out to become one of the longest-tenured Mavericks of all time. However, Powell has showcased true professionalism and a resilient work ethic throughout his time in Dallas, as he's molded himself into one of the stronger leaders in the Mavericks locker room.

Powell's veteran leadership can't be taken for granted on this Mavericks team whatsoever, as he's one of the few individuals on this roster on the wrong side of 30-years-old and he has an immense amount of on and off-court experience. Taking all of that into consideration though, Powell's inclusion on this Mavericks roster is as low of a need as it has ever been, as Powell's explosive athleticism has dwindled steadily ever since he tore his achilles at the beginning of the 2020.

Powell can still come in and provide steady minutes for the Mavericks at the center position if they ever need it, as he has an extensive understanding of Dallas' system and how Luka Doncic operates in the pick-and-roll, though he isn't as dynamic of a roll man as he once was and his lack of rim protection seems to only be getting worse at this stage in his career.

Now that Dallas has 48 minutes of solid big-man play with the trio of Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Maxi Kleber though, penciling in Powell's role on this team beyond a veteran mentor gets very tricky. The argument can be made that Powell's role on this Mavericks team could easily be relayed over to a younger project-type center that could potentially help the Mavericks out down the line, especially since Powell isn't the only veteran leader on this Mavericks team anymore.

This isn't to say what Powell brings to the Mavericks isn't invaluable from that perspective, but he's trending closer and closer to the point in his career where Dallas will have to weigh how much of an actual impact he's making on the court. Powell is set to make $4 million this upcoming season on a guaranteed deal and he has a player option in the 2025-26 season, so while it doesn't seem like the Mavericks are interested in parting ways with him quite yet, there's certainly an argument to be made that Dallas could afford to have a better emergency option at center this season.