Dwight Powell has been a constant for the Dallas Mavericks for more than a decade.
That will no longer be true when the Mavs tip off the new season later this week.
Powell has been waived by the Mavericks, according to a post on X on Monday morning by ESPN’s Shams Charania:
The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran center Dwight Powell, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026
It wasn’t necessarily a surprising move, but it is one that will take a little getting used to for Mavs fans, who had watched Powell suit up for their team through thick and thin.
Why Mavericks Waived Dwight Powell
The general understanding around the NBA is that Powell was the last thing standing between the youngster Moussa Cisse and a roster spot.
The expectation is that now that Powell has been cut, Cisse can make the team. So in a roster construction sense, that’s the reason Powell was waived.
His on-court impact has also dwindled considerably, so the Mavericks would’ve been keeping him around more for his veteran experience than anything else.
Last season, Powell averaged just 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
He turned 35 years old in July, too, and his veteran status clearly doesn’t align with a team whose contention timeline is built around Cooper Flagg.
NBA teams often keep players like Powell around as solid veteran presences, but when they have the chance to keep a younger talent — like the 24-year-old, 6-foot-11 Cisse — that can take priority for a team still on the rise.
Dwight Powell Mavericks Career
Powell was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 45 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but he was traded twice in quick succession.
First he went to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Brendan Haywood for Scotty Hopson. Then he was part of a big trade with the Celtics that included names like John Lucas III, Erik Murphy, Malcolm Thomas, Abdel Nader, Kadeem Allen and Keith Bogans — basically a nothing-burger aside from what came next.
The Celtics only kept Powell until December of 2014, when he was traded with Rajon Rondo to the Mavs for Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, Brandon Wright, and two 2016 picks, including the first-rounder that was used on Guerschon Yabusele.
After all that bouncing around, Powell landed with the Mavericks and never left.
He played in 763 games with Dallas, including 266 starts. He averaged 6.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
Powell averaged double-figure scoring once, in 2018-19 at 10.5 points per game. He averaged more than five rebounds per game in three different seasons.
More often than not, Powell was an athletic energy guy off the bench who kept the vibes good with the Mavericks. That kept him a job in Dallas for more than a decade.
Why Mavericks Cut Ties With Dwight Powell Suddenly Before Season Opener