The Mavericks’ buyout of Klay Thompson may have cleared one name from the ledger, but it did not solve the roster issue sitting right in front of them. Dallas still needs another point guard, and if the front office wants to address that before the season starts, it may have to make a tough call on one of its two-way players.
Tobi Lawal should be off-limits. The Mavericks just drafted him earlier this summer, and there’s no reason to rush into anything before they’ve had a real look at him next season.
That leaves John Poulakidas and Jett Howard as the more realistic candidates if Dallas decides it needs to open a spot. Poulakidas is heading into his second season in Dallas after a strong finish to his rookie year, while Howard is entering his fourth NBA season and his first with the Mavericks after spending his first three years in Orlando.
Both players bring the same calling card: shooting. That makes the choice even trickier, because Dusty May doesn’t have enough room in his rotation for both of them. One could end up on the outside looking in before the season even begins.
The Mavericks have shown they’re willing to move on from two-way players. Those contracts are easy to cut because they don’t count against the salary cap, and Dallas has already done it with Miles Kelly last season and Tyler Smith earlier this summer. Poulakidas and Howard could be next if the team decides its backcourt depth is too thin to ignore.
And right now, it is thin. Behind Kyrie Irving, the only point guards on the roster are Sergio De Larrea and Marcus Sasser. That’s a shaky setup, and if Irving misses time, the Mavericks would be in serious trouble.
That’s why waiving Howard or Poulakidas before the season begins has to be on the table. It would be a brutal outcome for either player.
Poulakidas has real upside as a 3-point specialist, and Howard had a chance to get a fresh start in Dallas. But the Mavericks need guard help more than they need another wing.
A young point guard on a two-way deal would make sense as a low-risk swing with real upside. Dallas has already shown it can uncover value that way. Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard both turned two-way opportunities into standard contracts, and with the roster built the way it is now, the next guard they add could follow the same path.
That’s the other part of this: the Mavericks are stacked on the wing. Even without Thompson, they still have Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Tarik Biberovic, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Zaccharie Risacher, and P.J.
Washington who can all play there. That makes the road to minutes especially crowded for Howard and Poulakidas.
It doesn’t make their chances impossible. Dallas has clearly prioritized surrounding Flagg with shooting, and that opens a door for both players in theory.
But if the goal is to keep two-way spots for young players who can eventually become rotation pieces, the Mavericks may be better served bringing in a guard. A point guard would have a much clearer path to the floor if injury hits behind Irving.
In Other News...
Klay's Dallas Gamble Looks Even Bigger After What We Learned About LA
Klay Thompsons time in Dallas already carried the feel of a bold basketball detour, but the backdrop around it has only gotten more interesting. He spent two seasons with the Mavericks after signing there in free agency, then moved on without getting the title run he was hoping for, a result shaped in part by injuries to Kyrie Irving and the kind of roster churn that has followed this team for the past couple of years.
Now the story has picked up another layer with his father, Mychal Thompson, venting about Klay passing on the Lakers not once but twice, including a personal push from LeBron James. For Mavericks fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the league can rearrange itself around a decision that once looked straightforward, especially with Luka Doni later landing in Los Angeles and changing the picture around the whole West. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Linked To Lakers Move That Could Cost Luka A Key Fit
The Lakers are still sorting out their starting power forward spot after missing on Jonathan Kuminga, who chose the Timberwolves, and one suggested path has them looking into a move that would send P.J. Washington out of Dallas. Washington has become a useful fit for the Mavericks because he can fill a similar role to the one Los Angeles wanted from Kuminga, giving the team a versatile frontcourt piece who already understands how to play alongside Luka Doncic.
For Dallas, the intrigue is not just about replacing a rotation piece, but about whether dealing Washington would undercut one of the cleaner fits around Doncic. His familiarity with Luka could make him especially valuable if the Mavericks are trying to keep the offense organized and balanced, which is why any chatter around a potential Lakers-Mavs swap carries extra weight. There is still a real sense that if Los Angeles pushes forward, the Mavericks could be forced to weigh short-term flexibility against losing one of their more natural complements. [Read more 🡒]
Mavs Leaked 2K Ratings Show This Roster Still Has Something To Prove
The early buzz around NBA 2K27s Dallas Mavericks ratings is giving fans another snapshot of where the roster stands before the season even gets rolling. The leaked numbers suggest a team with plenty of recognizable talent, but also one that still has room to climb, especially as the game continues to adjust player attributes based on how the year unfolds.
Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving sit atop the group at 87 overall, which tells its own story about both promise and respect without pushing anyone into elite territory yet. Behind them, the frontcourt depth is grouped tightly, with Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington all landing at 79, a reminder that this roster may need more than reputation to move up the ladder once the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]