33-Year-Old Center Re-Signs with the Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks had a whirlwind of a season last year. They traded their supposed star in Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers and would make the Play-In Tournament as the 10th seed in the Western Conference with a 39-43 record, eventually being knocked out by the Memphis Grizzlies. Yet, come the day of the NBA Draft Lottery, the Mavericks would walk away with the first overall pick, which they would use to draft Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Mavericks center Dwight Powell has played a key role as the backup over the past two seasons. Now, as a pending free agent, the 33-year-old center is deciding whether to start somewhere fresh or re-sign with Dallas and help this team, which is led by three former number one picks in Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis. It’s been announced that Powell has exercised his player option with Dallas.
During the 2014 NBA Draft, the 33-year-old was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 45th overall selection. Nearly a couple of weeks later, Powell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played during the 2014 NBA Summer League. He was once again traded back to the Celtics about two months later, where Powell played for the Celtics' G-League team, the Maine Red Claws. Again, Powell, along with Rajon Rondo, were traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, and Brandan Wright. Since then, the 33-year-old center has been a member of the Mavs, scoring his career-high of 26 points with the team, along with helping Dallas make the 2024 NBA Finals.
This past season, Powell played in 55 games. He averaged two points, two rebounds, and an assist in 10 minutes a game. On March 12th, during a 126-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the 33-year-old center scored a season-high of 11 points. Powell still has a lot to show on an NBA court. Last season, he shot 69 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and 65 percent from the free-throw line. As a member of the Mavs, Powell will look to seize his opportunities and make it back into the NBA Playoffs once again.
