Mavericks bringing back Dwight Powell on 3-year, $12 million deal

Dwight Powell is re-signing with the Dallas Mavericks, returning on a 3-year, $12 million dollar deal according to multiple reports from both national and local media. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first with the details.

It is a bit unclear how the Mavericks are bringing Powell back — one would assume this wouldn’t touch the $12.4 million non-tax payer mid-level exception the Mavericks were reportedly saving for some wing help. The Mavericks have Powell’s bird rights, so they can go over the cap to retain him. It also appears this isn’t a veteran’s minimum deal, as one for a player with Powell’s tenure would top out somewhere around $10 million for three years even with raises.

Powell has been in Dallas for eight and a half seasons, first coming to Dallas in Dec. 2014 as a part of the Rajon Rondo trade. He’s carved out a nice role since as an elite rim runner, near the tops of the league in pick and roll finishing efficiency for years. Powell started a career-high 71 games in the 2021-2022 season, and started 64 games last season as the Mavericks played roulette with the center rotation after 2022 free agent signing JaVale McGee didn’t work out.

There’s a portion of the fan base that will likely lament this news, as Powell has become the mascot for the Mavericks roster stagnation that they’ve suffered for almost a decade now. None of that is Powell’s fault, and he should be a good mentor to the Mavericks new rookie big man Dereck Lively. Dallas still has holes to fill on the wing and buffing up their overall athleticism after the disaster that was last season, but Powell’s presence at least gives the Mavericks a safety blanket at the center position if their other plans do hold up.