Mavericks waive Dwight Powell

Powell was the longest-tenured member of the organization, spending the last 12 years in Dallas after being acquired in a 2014 trade. He re-signed with the Mavs shortly before the start of training camp on a minimum-salary contract that included a $1MM guarantee. That figure would have risen to $1.5MM if he had made the opening night roster.

“Dwight was the consummate professional throughout his 12 seasons with the Mavericks and embodies everything you want in someone representing your organization,” team president Masai Ujiri said in a full press release. “He’s a tireless worker, an incredible teammate and someone whose impact extends well beyond the basketball court and into the Dallas community. We are grateful for everything Dwight has contributed to this franchise. He will always be part of the Mavericks family, and Dallas will always be a home for him. We wish him nothing but the best in this next chapter.”

After waiving guards Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas, the Mavericks had to part with one more player to reach the 15-man roster limit for the start of the regular season. As we detailed on Saturday, the most logical candidates to be waived were Moussa Cisse, Caleb Martin and Marcus Sasser, but they all would have involved parting with more guaranteed money than just releasing Powell.

Cisse would have been the least expensive option with a $2.2MM salary this season, but Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported late Sunday night that several teams had interest in claiming the 24-year-old center if he became available.

Powell had a fringe rotation role last season, appearing in 63 games (12 starts) and averaging 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.3 minutes per night.

He was hoping to play one more NBA season and saw action in three of the team’s four preseason games this month. Coach Dusty May called him a veteran who’s willing to do the little things to make his teammates better, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.

“Dwight has been very valuable so far to us,” May said. “I think it’s evident that when he is on the floor, we function well. It’s been a joy to get to know him and be around him. I try to stay out of that fray, deciding those types of things, but Dwight, he’s been very, very good for us.”