Dwight Powell’s future in Dallas may not be as a player, but the Mavericks still have a clear reason to keep him close.
Powell’s place on the roster has been one of the biggest talking points of training camp heading into his 13th season. Dallas brought him back on a one-year deal just before camp opened, even though the team already had 15 players on standard contracts. That left Powell in a tough spot: the only way he’d make the roster was if the Mavericks pulled off a consolidation trade or cut someone loose to create space.
That’s a tricky bet for a player who has averaged just 12.7 minutes per game over the last three seasons and no longer gives Dallas the same kind of production he once did. But even if he doesn’t crack the final roster, the Mavericks should still find a way to keep him in the building.
One obvious path would be a move into coaching.
If Dallas doesn’t open up a roster spot, Powell could transition directly into an assistant coaching role and stay with the organization in a new capacity. It would let him finish his Mavericks run the right way, assuming another NBA team doesn’t scoop him up, while also giving a 35-year-old with 12 years of NBA experience an immediate entry point into coaching.
That kind of move makes sense because Powell has long shown he understands the game beyond just his own minutes. His press conferences usually reveal a player who sees the bigger picture, and over the last few years he’s already taken on a lot of the responsibilities that come with being a veteran presence from the sideline.
His value now is less about box-score production and more about leadership. The playing time isn’t what it used to be, but the influence still shows up everywhere around the team. Young players consistently talk about Powell as a strong leader and the definition of a true professional, and the coaching staff views him the same way.
Dusty May summed up that appreciation after the team’s first training camp practice last weekend: "He makes everyone around him better," May said. "He’s exactly what we need as far as him being able to connect, screen, do the dirty work."
Those are the kinds of details Powell has made a career out of handling. He knows how to do the small things, and that would translate naturally to a coaching role with Dallas. A player like that could be especially valuable for the Mavericks’ young big men, who would have someone familiar and respected to lean on as they work to improve every part of their games.
Powell would also be a useful teacher when it comes to screen-setting, rolling, and making the right read out of the short roll. Those are the habits that separate functional bigs from dependable ones, and Powell has spent years mastering them.
Keeping him on the roster may not make much sense at this stage of his career. But keeping him with the organization absolutely does. A spot on the coaching staff would be a clean next step for Powell, and it would allow the Mavericks to hold onto someone who has been tied to the franchise since 2014 while adding a highly respected voice who already has the trust of plenty of players in the room.
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