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The Big D Breakdown · Morning

Dallas Trims Bench Ahead Of Opener, Locks In Flagg's Option

Lundy and Poulakidas are gone, Flagg's option is locked in, and four names are racing the clock to the opener.

$197.9MPayrollOver the cap, under the tax
26 ptsFlagg vs Hawks12 rebounds in preseason finale
2Roster CutsLundy, Poulakidas waived Oct. 18
Oct. 21OpenerAt Houston, regular season begins
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 18

Dallas waived Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas on October 18, a day after exercising its third-year option on Cooper Flagg, who scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the preseason-closing loss to Atlanta. The regular season opens October 21 at Houston with four Mavericks — Tarik Biberovic, Dereck Lively II, Jett Howard and Santi Aldama — all tagged for a return that same day.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Two Names Off The Roster

The cuts were procedural, not dramatic. Poulakidas had scored six points against New Orleans three days before his release, and Lundy never cracked the regular rotation in preseason. Keeping Flagg's third-year option, exercised the same week, is the bigger signal: Dallas is building around the 19-year-old rookie who averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season, and who just put up 26 and 12 in the preseason finale.

The Number: $197.9M

Dallas sits at $197.9 million in payroll, over the $165.0 million cap but $2.5 million short of the $200.4 million tax line. Kyrie Irving's $39.5 million anchors that figure, with P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford all north of $17 million. The draft-pick ledger stays unglamorous — Dallas owes Charlotte a protected 2027 first and Brooklyn two second-rounders, with swap rights its main leverage through 2030.

Four Names, One Deadline

Biberovic, Lively, Howard and Aldama are all marked for an October 21 return — the exact date Dallas opens the regular season at Houston. None has played since his tag went on, and Dallas has not said whether any of the four will actually suit up that night. The preseason finished 1-3; whether this group is healthy enough to matter starts Wednesday.

When do the Mavericks start the regular season?

Dallas opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 at Houston.

Did the Mavericks cut anyone this week?

Yes — Dallas waived Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas on October 18, the same week it exercised its third-year option on Cooper Flagg.

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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