Dwight Powell and Vsevolod Ishchenko left the Mavericks on September 21, trimming Dallas to an 18-man group with training camp still three weeks out. The exits followed a Sept. 20 report that Powell was expected to sign, and outlets covering the team have since split on what his camp status actually is.
Two Roster Spots Empty
Dwight Powell and Vsevolod Ishchenko both left the Mavericks on September 21, according to the transaction record. Powell's departure lands one day after Hoops Rumors' Rory Maher reported the team was expected to sign him, and Dallas' own beat has not settled on what that means: The Smoking Cuban framed his camp look as little more than a training-camp invite in one September 21 piece, while other posts from September 20 called the same reunion a "roadblock" story worth "a grain of salt." Ishchenko's exit drew no such argument.
Camp Clock Before Rockets
Dallas opens the preseason October 9 against Houston, then plays the Rockets again October 11 before hosting New Orleans on October 14 and Atlanta on October 16. The regular season opens October 21, also at Houston. Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving and Santi Aldama are each ticketed to return October 1, clearing Lively's foot, Irving's knee and Aldama's knee before the first exhibition tips off.
Payroll Holds Over the Cap
Dallas carries $197.9 million in payroll after the two exits, above the cap and below the $200.4 million tax line. Kyrie Irving tops the group at $39.5 million, followed by P.J. Washington at $19.8 million and Klay Thompson at $17.5 million. Whether either open roster spot gets filled before the preseason opener is still unanswered.
Is Dwight Powell still with the Mavericks?
The transaction record shows Powell left the team September 21, one day after a report said Dallas expected to sign him, and the Dallas beat is split on what his current camp status is.
When do the Mavericks play their first preseason game?
Dallas opens the preseason October 9 at home against the Houston Rockets.
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