Making a Roster Spot for Mavericks Veteran Just Became a Lot More Difficult

The Dallas Mavericks re-signed veteran forward/center Dwight Powell to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal right before the start of training camp, letting him know that they would make a "true effort" to create a roster spot for him.

One of the clearest pathways to creating that roster spot was Moussa Cisse, the second-year center out of Memphis.

The Mavericks had him on a two-way contract last year, then matched the offer sheet he signed with the New York Knicks this offseason. It was mostly non-guaranteed when it was first signed.

However, this season became fully guaranteed at midnight last night, and he's still on the roster. At only $2.2 million, which is cheap enough to waive, it's just wasted money if they choose that path.

Mousse Cissé’s 2026-27 salary ($2.2 million) is now fully guaranteed after Oct. 1 came and went.

The Mavericks fly to Macao this weekend for their two preseason games against Houston with the maximum 15 standard contracts and Dwight Powell still hoping to earn a roster spot. https://t.co/pEqj6QN7XY
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 2, 2026

The decision to re-sign Powell came as a curious decision, but most of his guarantees only come in if he's on the roster on opening night. As of now, there's no clear path to get that open roster spot for him, even if there is a player Mavericks fans would love to see the team move on from.

Powell has been with the Mavericks since the 2014-15 season, when he came in the trade with Rajon Rondo as a rookie.

Sep 25, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward/center Dwight Powell (7) poses for a photo during the Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Who Can the Mavericks Move to Open Space for Dwight Powell?

Even with the previous non-guarantees in Moussa Cisse's contract, it would've been a dumb decision to waive a young player with potential for a veteran who could be entering the final year of his career, even for someone as beloved as Dwight Powell.

Everyone is hoping that the Mavericks find a way to move on from Caleb Martin, who has been bad since coming over in the Quentin Grimes trade.

However, with two years and $19 million remaining on his deal, he'd be hard to trade and hard to waive, but with only two years left, it doesn't make that much sense to stretch his contract out. They're still paying off Olivier-Maxence Prosper and JaVale McGee; they shouldn't want to add another.

The most realistic path could just be Powell not getting a roster spot. He's a great veteran, but they could always add him to the coaching staff, as they did with Garrett Temple. They also have Tyson Chandler as a player development coach, so it could be done.

Tarik Biberovic isn't going anywhere, which was another name possibly mentioned, and Marcus Sasser has been making an impression. If Martin can't be moved, Powell may not have a spot.

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