Dusty May didn’t sound ready to close the book on Dwight Powell, even after the Mavericks let the veteran center go on Monday.
May opened his availability by thanking Powell, then made clear he believes the 35-year-old still has more left if another opportunity comes along. Powell, who spent May’s first training camp in Dallas on a one-year minimum deal with a $1 million partial guarantee, appeared in three of the four preseason games. He averaged 1.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 12.1 minutes a night.
“I think Dwight Powell, in my short stint here this summer, this fall, up until this season, his professionalism, his attitude, he exemplified everything that you want a Maverick to be about,” May said. “And so I just want to say thanks to him.
He certainly had an impact on all of us as a player here in the organization, and the same thing [with] Seth Lundy and JP. Those guys had an impact on our team.
We're better because they were here, and you never know what the future holds.”
Dallas also waived guards Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas over the weekend, and May included both players in his praise.
He didn’t offer a reason for Powell’s release, saying there are many factors behind those calls and that management informed him of the move. May also said there have been no talks about Powell joining the coaching staff.
Still, he left the door open for Powell to keep playing somewhere else.
“I wouldn't be surprised,” May explained. “Look, I'm relatively new to the NBA game, so I don't know the ins and outs and the calendar with moves and things like that.
So would I be surprised to see Dwight playing somewhere? I wouldn't.
He still has some miles in the tank.”
Powell’s Mavericks run covered 12 seasons and a massive stretch of franchise history. He played 763 regular-season games for Dallas, starting 266 of them, which puts him fifth in team history in games played. His 60.6% career shooting mark ranks fourth in team history, and he sits sixth all-time for the Mavericks in both offensive and total rebounds.
He had his best scoring season in 2018-19, when he averaged 10.6 points, and his top rebounding year came in 2019-20 at 5.7 per game. Last season, he appeared in 63 games and made 12 starts.
Dallas acquired Powell from Boston on Dec. 18, 2014, in the Rajon Rondo trade after Charlotte selected him 45th overall that June. He was part of the 2021-22 team that reached the Western Conference finals in Jason Kidd’s first season and the 2024 team that made it to the NBA Finals.
In a statement Monday, Masai Ujiri, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, called Powell “the consummate professional.” Ujiri also highlighted Powell’s work in the Dallas community.
The Mavericks chose to keep second-year center Moussa Cissé over Powell. Cissé went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Dallas, and his two-way contract was converted to a standard deal during his rookie season. Dallas now has 17 players on its roster, with two on two-way contracts.
May, who took the job in June after winning the 2026 national championship at Michigan, arrived with a résumé that also includes two Florida Atlantic teams that went 64-13 combined and six FAU seasons that finished 126-69.
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The fit is not just about opportunity, either. There is a built-in comfort level between Clayton and Dallas coach Dusty May, which could matter if the guard gets through waivers and starts weighing where he has the clearest path to minutes this season. Sacramento is also in the mix, so Claytons next stop may come down to which team can offer the sharper pitch once the waiver process plays out. [Read more 🡒]