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The Big D Breakdown · Morning

Powell Returns, Payroll Holds Steady Below the Tax Line

Dallas adds center depth without tripping the luxury tax, but the camp clock keeps ticking.

Sept 25Powell Signingadds center depth
$197.9MPayrollabove cap, below tax
$200.4MTax Linethreshold not yet reached
+2.2Best Lineup NetWashington-Gafford-Christie-Flagg
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

The Mavericks brought back Dwight Powell on September 25, adding depth at center while Dallas' bill sits at $197.9 million, below the $200.4 million tax threshold. Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively and Santi Aldama are all working back from injury with the preseason opener ten days out.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Powell Fills a Real Need

Powell rejoined Dallas on September 25, restoring size behind Daniel Gafford at a spot already thin with Lively working back from a foot issue. It is the frontcourt hole the front office had been trying to patch all September, and it comes at no cost against the tax.

Payroll Stays Clean

Dallas carries $197.9 million in salary, above the cap but under the $200.4 million tax line. Kyrie Irving's $39.5 million anchors the book, with P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Gafford and Aldama filling out the top five deals. Most of Dallas' future first-round capital is already tied up in swaps owed to Charlotte, the Clippers and Brooklyn, so this group is the roster ownership intends to run.

Camp Clock Still Ticking

Irving and Lively are both targeting an October 9 return, the same date Dallas opens its preseason slate at home against Houston; Aldama is aiming for October 1. Last season's top pairing, Washington and Gafford flanked by Christie, Flagg and Williams, outscored opponents by 2.2 points per hundred possessions across 14 games, a small sample worth revisiting once bodies are healthy. The open question: does Powell's addition reshape the center rotation once Lively is actually cleared, or is it just insurance against another delay?

Is Dwight Powell back with the Mavericks?

Yes. Dallas re-signed Powell on September 25 to add depth at center.

Will the Mavericks pay the luxury tax in 2026-27?

Not based on current numbers. Dallas' $197.9 million payroll sits below the $200.4 million tax line.

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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