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The Big D Breakdown · Morning

Mavericks Camp: A Five-Man Logjam at the Five

No news broke, but Dallas' center rotation is the loudest question in camp.

26-56Last Season Recordbefore this rebuild continues
9.5 ptsGafford Last Season55 games, presumptive starting five
15.2 ptsMarshall Last Seasoneyed for bigger offensive role
2026-10-09Preseason Openerhome date vs the Rockets
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Monday, September 14

The last 36 hours brought no transactions or injury updates for Dallas, leaving the roster as the story. Five bigs and a suddenly bigger offensive workload for Naji Marshall define what Dusty May has to sort out before the October 9 preseason opener.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Camp, Not Headlines

Nothing new landed for the Mavericks in the last day and a half — no trade, no signing, no fresh injury note beyond the three players already day-to-day. That quiet leaves the roster itself as the story heading into the preseason opener against the Rockets on October 9.

Five Bodies, One Spot

Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, Santi Aldama and Moussa Cisse all occupy the frontcourt, and The Smoking Cuban's Austin McGee flagged the logjam directly, writing that Dallas needs to find minutes for Cisse despite the crowd ahead of him. Gafford posted 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds over 55 games last season as the presumptive starter, but Lively's foot injury and Aldama's knee issue both carry an estimated return of October 1, leaving Dusty May to sort out reps before a rotation is even settled.

Marshall's Bigger Ask

Naji Marshall scored 15.2 points and dished 3.3 assists across 74 games last season, and The Smoking Cuban's Austin McGee argued Dallas' unusual bench could push him into a bigger offensive role this fall. Whether that shift makes Marshall a full-time initiator or just a stopgap scorer is the open question as camp continues.

When do the Mavericks play their first preseason game?

Dallas opens the preseason on October 9, 2026, at home against the Houston Rockets.

Who is competing for center and power forward minutes?

Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, Santi Aldama and Moussa Cisse are all on the roster, with Lively and Aldama both listed day-to-day.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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