I don't think they're going to cut him. Just don't think they're going to spend that money to then burn him. I say this also not really understanding why we paid him.

The Mavericks waived Seth Lundy today but I'm told he has emerged as a candidate for the two-way roster spot that Dallas just opened.

Lundy was drafted No. 46 overall by Atlanta in 2023 and played against the Hawks for the Mavericks last night in the teams' preseason finale. https://t.co/elZEXJ4PuX

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 17, 2026

Possibly signing Lundy to the last two way spot. He was decent in these preseason games. Springy and sneaky athletic.

I think I would care more if I thought anyone at the end of our bench was going to do anything, but I just don't.

Common sense says you're right, but I have no idea what to think.

There hasn't been a coach or front office in the Mavs org over the past 10 years that hasn't done everything they can to keep Powell. He's obviously good at basketball, even at his current age, and they say he's great for the locker room.

At this point it feels like Powell will be on the team, and it will make no sense to have basically 6 centers on the roster and hardly anybody who can dribble competently.

Would've been awesome to Jettison Gafford this offseason….

Tksymm7 said:

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I think I would care more if I thought anyone at the end of our bench was going to do anything, but I just don't.

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Yeah these spots basically only end up mattering if you have 2+ injuries at one position. I think Poulakidis showed he's an NBA player over the last month of last season, even if it's at the end of the bench.

Two-way spots are meant for guys like Lundy who have upside if they can do X unachieved trait. I think Lundy can be an end of the bench guy if he can shoot the ball. It's an interesting move.

Tksymm7 said:

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Would've been awesome to Jettison Gafford this offseason….

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Yeah I think everybody, especially front offices, fall in love with the idea of Gafford. Then you watch him play and wonder why he's always leaving you wanting more.

Definitely one of the better backup bigs in the league, but are the Mavs at a spot where it's a good idea to be paying a backup center $15 million a year who you basically know who he is at this point.

Just in: Oklahoma City Thunder All-Defensive guard Cason Wallace has agreed to a five-year, $139 million rookie-scale contract extension, agents Jeff Schwartz, Max Lipsett and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/vCNVSJjp0q

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

Dang man, this is a steal of a deal, but how are they going to pay all these guys???

Vessel said:

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Just in: Oklahoma City Thunder All-Defensive guard Cason Wallace has agreed to a five-year, $139 million rookie-scale contract extension, agents Jeff Schwartz, Max Lipsett and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/vCNVSJjp0q

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

Dang man, this is a steal of a deal, but how are they going to pay all these guys???

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I have a hard time saying it is a steal, but it makes their off-season so much more interesting.

It's about 16% of the cap for a guy that has never averaged 9ppg. Dyson Daniels is maybe the most similar nad he got 4y100M. But Daniels also came in 2nd in DPOY, averaged 3 steals a game along with 14/6/5. Plus he is bigger.

He's getting an ~18M raise next year and SGA gets a $20M raise.

Not factoring in keeping Kenrich Williams or their THREE first round picks next year, OKC is currently $26M over the 2nd apron. They obviously have paths to cut that down (moving Hartenstein and hoping that Mara/Sorber can make up for it?) but it's going to be interesting.

The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran center Dwight Powell, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

End of an era. Right decision though.

Honestly shocked they made this call and it's absolutely the right one.

It is probably the right call. I know vets are important, and they do bring something intangible to the team and organization, but it's time to move on. Plus, we still have Kyrie, Gafford, PJ, and Caleb Martin. That's more than enough vet in the room.

M.C. Swag said:

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The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran center Dwight Powell, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

End of an era. Right decision though.

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If he doesn't get picked up by another team (and I doubt that happens) he absolutely gets some sort of job with the Mavs, right? Seems like a great guy/mentor/coach type.

Ya prolly. And idk Indy's roster situation but I know Carlisle ****ing LOVES DP like a son and is prolly wondering if he can add him.

M.C. Swag said:

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Ya prolly. And idk Indy's roster situation but I know Carlisle ****ing LOVES DP like a son and is prolly wondering if he can add him.

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They have one roster spot open, but are in the tax and only 2.2M away from the hardcap of 1st apron. So they can't bring him in for the roster.

Guitarsoup said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran center Dwight Powell, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

End of an era. Right decision though.

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If he doesn't get picked up by another team (and I doubt that happens) he absolutely gets some sort of job with the Mavs, right? Seems like a great guy/mentor/coach type.

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Philly would be crazy not to sign him. They'll need centers to eat minutes this season.

Vessel said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran center Dwight Powell, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

End of an era. Right decision though.

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If he doesn't get picked up by another team (and I doubt that happens) he absolutely gets some sort of job with the Mavs, right? Seems like a great guy/mentor/coach type.

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Philly would be crazy not to sign him. They'll need centers to eat minutes this season.

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Only 1.8M from the hard cap. I think Bron is going to play a lot of center this year.

I do love that the Mavs essentially paid him $1m to fly to China and play a few pre season games lol

Team with open roster spot and at least 2.5M in space below any hard cap

Boston (no hard cap, but only 1.7M from luxury tax they are obviously trying to reset repeater tax)
Chicago
Denver (no hard cap, but deep into 2nd apron, so unlikely)
Miami
Minnesota (but it is 2nd apron hard cap, they are past 1st apron)
Knicks (no hard cap, but they are past 1st apron)
Orlando (no hard cap, but they are past 1st apron)
Phoenix (hard capped at 2nd apron, already past 1st apron)
Portland
Sacramento
San Antonio (no hard cap, but only 2.1M from luxury tax they are avoiding)
Toronto (No hard cap, but are over the luxury tax 1M and I bet they try to make a cost-cutting move)

Not sure I see him getting picked up tbh unless its Sacramento or maybe a Chicago.

Some intriguing players being waived. Koby Brea from Phoenix, Walter Clayton Jr. from Memphis, and now Kevin Porter Jr from Milwaukee.

That's wild. I thought Clayton jr was a surefire all star coming out of UF

zgolfz85 said:

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That's wild. I thought Clayton jr was a surefire all star coming out of UF

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He was hurt this off season and then played in the preseason like an Aggie QB playing PG

Dallas has one two-way slot open. Hope they use it on a ball-handler.

Not sure if he's eligible for a two-way, but KPJ is exactly the kind of player the Mavs need. Ball handler who can score and distribute. He's a headcase, but the advanced numbers say he's good. Defensive possession-maxxer.

No issue with Clayton either, as he could easily run a 2nd unit and is the type of calming presence on the ball the Mavs could use. You could ask him to do a little more defensively also.

I didn't include teams that could open a spot to take him. I think the Bulls make a lot of sense. They need a grown up in the room and he would be a good mentor for Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzielas. They have Claxton, Collins, and Jalen Smith, so they don't actually need him to play. I'd like to see that.

Stein said on DLLS that the chances were high if the Mavs wanted to add Powell at a later date, that he would likely be available. Also said that a big reason the Mavs do this deal is because of how much interest they've had in Cisse, so they needed to make sure they kept him so if someone really wanted him they would have to offer a trade for him, which I would do in a heartbeat. If someone offered us a pick or a guard for Cisse I'm going that in a heartbeat.

The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving 2024 No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/SaeDxdSBUo

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 19, 2026

crazy, I thought he would have a good career as a sharpshooter

Don't want to go anywhere near Kevin Porter. The fact he's available with his level of talent should be all the warning needed, especially considering our young core.

There are 125 international players on Opening Night rosters … with a league-high seven each in Dallas, Miami and Washington. pic.twitter.com/h2f45QIDSM

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 20, 2026

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Mavericks have emerged a leading contender to land Walter Clayton Jr. when he clears waivers, @TheSteinLine has learned.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 20, 2026

Very nice

Yeah this makes so much sense

Looks like both of the other Michigan players from the draft this year are pretty good or at least decent.

Morez better not be a bust! We could've had any one of those guys.

I don't think we'll see a huge statistical impact from Morez this year outside of rebounds and blocks. His real value and evaluation will come down to his advanced defensive metrics for this specific team.

While I hope he turns into a complete two-way player, he'll likely struggle on offense for a good portion of the season.

A big question is his playing timewill he get ~20 minutes a night, or push up to 25+? Personally, I'd like to see him start at the 5 and play 25+ minutes with Gafford coming off the bench, but my guess is Gafford gets the starting nod for now.

Yaxel was always a baller, it was just a matter of if drafting a 24 year old made sense for this team. I think his upside is capped at like a top 50-75 player.

Mara looks completely different than he did in college. He's moving better and he's showing touch he didn't really have. Still think the jury is out on him. Need to see more to know it's real. Still think there's a low ceiling here.

Morez was the right upside play. He can be a defensive anchor and the tools to develop a lethal outside shot. Even on off nights, you know you're always going to get his best effort. That type of effort is a skill. I think in 4-5 years, and possibly sooner, we'll know we made the right choice.