Projecting Mavericks' Depth Chart After Waiving Dwight Powell

The Dallas Mavericks decided to waive veteran forward/center Dwight Powell ahead of the start of the regular season on Wednesday, resolving the debate of keeping either Powell or Moussa Cisse.

That puts the Mavericks at the standard 15-man roster limit as they head into the season.

We saw a glimpse of what the rotations could look like throughout the preseason, but a few key depth pieces have been dealing with injuries and didn't play much, if at all.

With that being said, here is the projected depth chart heading into the season now that we've seen most of them in action.

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

Update to Projected Mavericks 2026-27 Depth Chart

PG: Kyrie Irving, Sergio De Larrea, Marcus Sasser
SG: Zaccharie Risacher, Max Christie, Tarik Biberovic
SF: Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin
PF: P.J. Washington, Santi Aldama
C: Daniel Gafford, Morez Johnson Jr., Moussa Cisse, Dereck Lively II*

I wouldn't focus too much on the positions, as a lot of players can play all over. We saw lineups that featured Marshall, Flagg, and Washington, and also some multi-guard lineups with two point guards playing together.

Really, the only two players who have solidified starting spots are Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg. Everything else is completely up for grabs and will likely remain fluid throughout the season.

Zaccharie Risacher started both preseason games that Irving started in, which could be important, but Max Christie sat the last game due to rest. He could easily start more games at shooting guard, but I think they'll go with Risacher first because of his higher ceiling.

P.J. Washington struggled throughout the preseason, but he's still too versatile a player to give up on just yet. As Morez Johnson Jr. and Santi Aldama get healthy and more comfortable, this could be something else we see change.

Dereck Lively II will likely be the starter once he's fully healthy, but no one knows when that will be. We knew he wouldn't be ready for the start of the season, but there has been no further update to this point, and the deadline for a possible extension for him is 5 p.m. CST.

Morez Johnson Jr. and Santi Aldama are also both dealing with injuries, though Johnson should be playing on limited minutes, while the Mavericks hope to have Aldama back soon.

I think Sergio De Larrea has done enough to solidify him as the guard behind Kyrie Irving. Marcus Sasser only played in one preseason game after dealing with some adductor tightness, but De Larrea is just the much better playmaker. He'll struggle this season at times as he gets used to the NBA, but his potential is sky-high.

Caleb Martin doesn't need to play, barring injuries. He still looked unplayable for most of the preseason.

Add us as a preferred source on Google