Dwight Powell’s place in Dallas has been one of the NBA’s easiest jokes for years. Through all the churn around the Mavericks, through the Dirk Nowitzki era, the Luka Doncic era and now the Cooper Flagg era, the veteran big man has been the constant fans kept expecting to outlast everything else.
Now, with Powell sitting in free agency and training camp for the 2026-27 season about a month away, the question feels more serious than it has in a while: is this the end?
There was already speculation last season that the 2025-26 campaign could be Powell’s final run. Mark Cuban pushed back on that talk with a blunt response online: "Not true," Cuban wrote.
Still, the uncertainty is real. Cuban may know Powell better than almost anyone in the organization, having been around him since the trade that brought Powell and Rajon Rondo to Dallas. But his influence on basketball decisions has faded, especially with the Mavericks now operating under new front office leaders Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz.
And on a roster that is already crowded, Powell does not have much obvious room.
Dallas’ team website currently lists a long group of players who can be invited to training camp, but only 15 can land standard contracts. By estimation, 13 of those spots are already close to locked in.
Powell is not among the players viewed as having a guaranteed place, and he is one of several outliers alongside Brandon Williams, Caleb Martin and Klay Thompson. Martin and Thompson are already under contract, which means Dallas would need to make moves if it wanted to bring back Powell or Williams.
Mavericks reporter Kevin Gray Jr. dug into the retirement chatter as well, writing: "I’ve reached out to multiple sources with knowledge regarding the report that Mavericks C Dwight Powell intends to retire at the end of the year," Gray wrote on social media. "At this time, those sources say they can not confirm the report that Powell intends to retire, with one source saying it was 'news to them.'"
Even if retirement isn’t confirmed, Powell’s situation is plainly different now. The quiet free-agency market, the limited roster flexibility and the lack of obvious outside buzz all point to a player whose next move is far from settled.
Powell’s résumé in Dallas is substantial. He ranks fifth in Mavericks history in games played with 763, behind Nowitzki, Brad Davis, Derek Harper and Rolando Blackman. He is also sixth in team history in rebounds, fourth in career field-goal percentage and third in career two-point field-goal percentage.
Last season, he played 63 games and averaged 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.
For a player who has spent more than a decade becoming a familiar face in Dallas, the future is now hanging in the balance. Whether that means one more year, a roster squeeze that pushes him out, or a retirement decision, Powell is moving through murky waters as both his Mavericks and NBA future remain unclear.
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For the Mavericks, the wrinkle is less about whether Thompson still has appeal and more about how the team ultimately chooses to handle his future. Dallas would prefer to work out a trade, but the path could change if the front office decides a buyout makes more sense as roster decisions loom, leaving this as one of the more closely watched personnel calls on the teams calendar. [Read more 🡒]
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Klay Thompsons place in Dallas has already been one of the offseasons more delicate topics, and his latest response only added another layer to it. After a fan drew a comparison between Thompson and Ray Allen, he pushed back by pointing to the scoring load he carried on Golden State championship teams before Kevin Durant arrived, reminding everyone that his rsum was built on more than just a catch-and-shoot reputation.
For the Mavericks, the timing matters because Thompsons future remains unsettled and the front office still has decisions to make about how to handle it. Reports have suggested that a trade could still be on the table rather than a buyout, with the Miami Heat among the teams keeping an eye on the situation, which leaves Dallas with a situation that feels far from resolved. [Read more 🡒]
Mavs Front Office Just Sent A Clear Message About This Roster
The Mavericks are taking a clear step into a different phase, one centered less on veteran names and more on what the roster can grow into from within. General manager Mike Schmitz framed the shift as a chance to lean into internal competition and give younger players a bigger runway, while also thanking Klay Thompson for what he brought during his time in Dallas.
For a team trying to sort out its next look, the move matters because it changes the texture of the roster as much as the rotation. Thompsons next stop is already lining up elsewhere, but in Dallas the bigger story is the message being sent to the rest of the locker room: the opportunities ahead will have to be earned, and the front office is clearly willing to let that process play out. [Read more 🡒]