Powell waiver settles Mavericks roster after Saturday’s two-way cuts

The Mavericks settled their remaining standard-roster decision Monday by waiving Dwight Powell. Dallas now has 17 players, including two on two-way contracts, the team announced October 19. That puts the standard roster at 15 after a weekend in which two other cuts had left it one player over the limit.

Powell was the player whose contract was not fully guaranteed. Dallas already had 15 guaranteed standard deals, The Associated Press reported, so retaining him would have meant releasing someone else. Monday's move ends that roster squeeze and likely closes Powell's 12-year Dallas tenure.

The distinction explains why Saturday's cuts were not the final answer. John Poulakidas occupied a two-way slot, and Seth Lundy had come to camp on an Exhibit 10 deal. Neither departure cleared the extra standard contract. The team's Saturday announcement listed those two guards:

A veteran leaves after a late return

Powell rejoined Dallas shortly before training camp, leaving open the possibility of a 13th season with the Mavericks. He played three of their four preseason games, averaging 1.3 points, two rebounds and 3.7 assists in 12.1 minutes, according to Monday's official release.

His place in franchise history is much larger than that final preseason line. Powell appeared in 763 Dallas games, fifth on the team's all-time list. He ranks sixth in total rebounds and offensive rebounds and 10th in blocks. Across his 12 Mavericks seasons, he averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.

Dallas acquired him in December 2014 as part of the Rajon Rondo trade with Boston. AP noted that Rondo left before completing a full season in Dallas, while Powell stayed for the next 11 full seasons. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri praised Powell's professionalism and contributions beyond the court in the team's farewell.

The rest of the weekend's decisions

Poulakidas left after a productive shooting stretch. He made 45.5 percent of his threes in three preseason appearances and averaged seven points. His 16-point game against New Orleans on Wednesday included four makes on eight three-point attempts. Lundy averaged 5.5 points across four preseason games.

The Mavericks also exercised Cooper Flagg's third-year option Saturday. That secures the 2027-28 season under his rookie-scale deal. Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 starts during his Rookie of the Year season.

Dallas opens Wednesday, October 21, at Houston.