Dwight Powell is sticking around Dallas, at least for the start of training camp.
The Mavericks have brought back the veteran big man as camp opens next week, keeping the longtime frontcourt piece in the fold even though his long-term future with the team still looks unsettled. Dallas already has the maximum 15 standard NBA contracts on the roster, which leaves Powell in an awkward spot: he is the only player attending camp who is not currently one of the club’s 15 standard or three two-way contract players.
Powell has spent most of his 12-year NBA career with the Mavericks after arriving from the Boston Celtics as a rookie in the 2014-15 season. Last season, he played in 63 games and made 12 starts, putting up 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per night.
The 35-year-old’s future had already become a talking point months ago. In December, a Mavericks fan account on X/Twitter said Powell was "likely" to retire after the season because he was in the final year of his contract. Mark Cuban pushed back on that chatter with a brief response: "Not true," Cuban wrote.
Cuban has been around Powell’s Dallas run from the beginning, though he has not had the same direct role in basketball decisions with the Mavericks since before Nico Harrison was let go as general manager. Still, if anyone around the organization had a real read on Powell’s plans, Cuban would have been a strong candidate.
For now, Powell avoids becoming the eighth player from last year’s roster to depart the organization. Most recently, the Mavericks bought out veteran guard Klay Thompson, who then signed with the Miami Heat.
Powell’s place in franchise history is already secure. He ranks fifth in Mavericks history with 763 games played, trailing only Dirk Nowitzki, Brad Davis, Derek Harper and Rolando Blackman. He also sits sixth in team rebounds, fourth in career field-goal percentage and third in career two-point field-goal percentage.
That doesn’t make the next step any clearer. Powell remains a familiar and well-liked presence in Dallas, but his path forward with the Mavericks - and in the NBA - is still cloudy. For now, though, he’s in camp.
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