Dallas Mavericks Open Roster Spot By Waiving Sharpshooter

The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up the 2026 preseason on Friday night with an ugly loss to the Atlanta Hawks. With the season set to start next week, Saturday was expected to have a lot of moves around the NBA, as if a team waives somebody and they aren't claimed by Monday, that team is responsible for their full cap hit for the season.

There was expected to be one major move for the Mavericks' main roster, as they have to decide what to do with Dwight Powell to open a roster spot for him. While we'll get that news at some point, the Mavericks decided to make another somewhat significant move on Saturday.

Dallas announced that it waived sharpshooting guard John Poulakidas from his two-way contract, while also waiving Seth Lundy from his training camp deal.

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have waived guards Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas.

Full release: https://t.co/q54XXtvK6L
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) October 17, 2026

While a few fans were surprised by the decision to move on from Poulakidas, it shouldn't be that surprising, considering that he was a healthy scratch in the second preseason game against the Houston Rockets.

Poulakidas did have a productive preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans with 16 points, but he didn't offer much outside of shooting. That is still a big need for the Mavs in the backcourt, but they have Jett Howard on a two-way, and Tarik Biberovic on a standard roster spot who can fill similar roles.

There was talk of Poulakidas going to play in Greece next season, but this may give that a kickstart.

The Mavericks will weigh their options with this opening, but I'd expect them to add another playmaker.

Oct 14, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard John Poulakidas (1) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One More Move Coming for the Mavericks

While the Mavericks decide what to do with this open two-way spot, all eyes will now be on what happens with Dwight Powell.

The Mavericks could try to waive Moussa Cisse to make space for Powell, with hopes that they could bring him back on a two-way, but there's probably enough interest in Cisse around the NBA that someone could claim him.

NBA insider Jake Fischer just reported the other day that the Philadelphia 76ers are a team to watch for him after Ariel Hukporti tore his Achilles, and while they just added Tacko Fall on a two-way, they could still use another big.

Obviously, the New York Knicks signed Cisse to an offer sheet that was quickly matched by the Mavs, and there would likely be other teams interested.

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