Dallas carries 16 standard contracts and three centers. Inside the roster math on a Dwight Powell return, from Cissé's matched offer sheet to Lively's recovery.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have 16 players on standard contracts. Teams must be at 15 by the start of the regular season. Signing Dwight Powell would make 17.
The 16 under contract: Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberović, Max Christie, Moussa Cissé, Sergio De Larrea, Cooper Flagg, Daniel Gafford, Kyrie Irving, Morez Johnson Jr., Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Zaccharie Risacher, Marcus Sasser, Klay Thompson, and P.J. Washington.
Three of them are centers. Powell would be the fourth.
On July 18, Dallas matched the two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet Cissé signed with the New York Knicks. He will earn $2,185,116 in 2026-27, half of it guaranteed at signing. That guarantee goes to $1.1 million if he is still on the roster past Sept. 1. The full amount locks in Oct. 1. None of his $2,571,895 salary for 2027-28 is guaranteed.
Matching the sheet froze Cissé's trade status for a year since he would have to sign off on any move. New York is off the table entirely for that stretch.
Through 38 games as an undrafted rookie last season, Cissé averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. He finished third among NBA rookies in blocks per game. Against Chicago in the regular-season finale, Cissé put up 17 points and 20 rebounds, tying the franchise rookie record for rebounds in a game. He should factor in significantly as a depth piece for Dallas in the event either Gafford or Lively were to suffer an injury.
Aldama has played center in smaller lineups. Johnson spent most of his Summer League minutes there. Washington has taken stretches at the five as well.
Aldama arrived from the Memphis Grizzlies in a six-team deal that included Dallas giving up AJ Johnson, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick originally belonging to Golden State, and two future second-rounders. Across 43 games with 11 starts last season, Aldama averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 27.9 minutes. A right knee arthroscopic procedure in mid-March ended his year. As a 7-footer, his shooting ability makes him an appealing option to slide into a small-ball center in stretches.
Johnson went ninth overall in June out of Michigan. During his sophomore season with the Wolverines, Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 62/34/78 shooting splits. In the Summer League opener against Golden State, he scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Calf soreness held him to two games in Las Vegas, most of them spent at center. Johnson's switching ability and all-around defensive impact are a real weapon against small ball when deploying him at the five spot.
In previous seasons, Dallas' former regime showed a need to turn to external options when injuries added up. The Mavericks signed Kylor Kelley to a two-way contract on Jan. 26, 2025. Kelley appeared in eight games and made one start. Dallas signed Moses Brown to a 10-day contract in February, and Brown started two games before the deal ran out. Dallas signed Kai Jones to a two-way contract on March 3 and waived Kelley. Dallas also used forwards Kessler Edwards and Olivier-Maxence Prosper at the five. Powell dressed for 55 games that season and averaged 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 10.0 minutes.
Dallas signed Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day contract on Jan. 15 of last season. Marvin Bagley III came over Feb. 5 in the trade that sent Anthony Davis to Washington. In his first game with the Mavericks, Bagley scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 24 minutes. He played 22 games in Dallas and finished the year averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 20.0 minutes across 60 games between the two teams.
Whatever Powell provides in the locker room, Dallas has spent two seasons filling center minutes with 10-day contracts and two-way signings while he sat on the roster.
Lively II was limited to seven games last season. He has not been cleared to run in his recovery from foot surgery. Gafford signed a three-year extension last summer and has been on the trade market since the draft, with Dallas seeking first-round capital. A Gafford trade gets the roster to 15 if Dallas does not take back a contract. Whether the return includes salary is an open question.
Powell averaged 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 14.3 minutes last season while shooting 64.4% from the field. He has appeared in 768 regular-season games, 755 of them with Dallas. Powell arrived in December 2014 as part of the Rajon Rondo trade. He turned 35 on July 20.
Three players on the roster spent the bulk of last season at power forward: Washington, Aldama, and Johnson.
All three two-way spots are filled. Dallas must be at 15 standard contracts by opening night.
