Powell Is Gone, Lively Won't Be Extended, and Dallas Starts Over at Center

The Mavericks waived Dwight Powell on Monday, ending a 12-year run with the franchise. On the same day, they passed on extending Dereck Lively II. Two moves, one message: the frontcourt that carried Dallas through its contention window is being cleared out entirely.

Powell's departure was coming. He appeared in 67 games this season but was a depth piece at the end of a lost year, and the franchise isn't building around veterans in their mid-30s right now. The Lively decision is the more consequential one. I wrote back in September that none of the offseason additions — Aldama, Cisse, the rest — were Lively, and the season bore that out. He never cleared for camp after foot surgery, never played a minute, and now Dallas has decided not to commit to him going forward either. Whatever the logic, the result is that Moussa Cisse is the only center with meaningful playing time on this roster, and there is no credible depth behind him.

That's the frontcourt situation heading into the offseason: thin by count, thin by quality, and now without either of the veterans who might have bridged the gap. Cooper Flagg is the foundation. Everything else is a question.