Has Mavs' Dwight Powell Era Reached Its End?

With upgrades necessary at the center position for the Mavericks this summer, Dwight Powell's time in Dallas could be over.

As the NBA playoffs heads into the conference semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks are at home planning out their offseason. For a team that went from Western Conference Finalists to missing the postseason altogether, big changes are needed in Dallas. 

One of those changes must come at the center position. This season, Dallas ranked dead last in the league in rebounding and 28th out of 30 teams in blocks per game. When you can't rebound the basketball or protect the rim, you likely won't find yourselves as contenders in this league. 

During exit interviews at the end of their season, Mavs GM Nico Harrison spoke on Dallas' priority this summer: "I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things that we need to work on is defense and rebounding. That's going to be addressed."

Looking at the center position for Dallas, Dwight Powell started 64 games this season and has essentially been the Mavericks' starting center through the entire Luka Doncic era, which in itself is an issue. But for Powell, his tenure with the Mavs could have come to an end as he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. 

Though Powell has a strong connection with Doncic in the pick-and-roll and is an exemplary teammate who gives endless effort, his ability as a rebounder and a rim protector are at the bottom of the league when it comes to big men, as he's averaging just 4.1 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game. And with the infrastructure of this Mavs roster, having an anchor in the middle is crucial.

With the Mavericks losing some continuity over the last year, losing Jalen Brunson to free agency and trading away Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and fan favorite Boban Marjanovic, you have to wonder if Doncic and the Mavs would want to keep Powell around for those reasons. If they do retain him, though, he likely won't be as high on the Mavs' priority list as he's been in past years.

Dallas' priorities during this offseason are clear: 1) re-sign Kyrie Irving and 2) upgrade your rebounding and overall defense. It's unclear what Powell's market may look like or what his preference would be, but it'd be surprising if he doesn't have re-signing in Dallas as his priority. But will that feeling be mutual? That will depend on the price tag.

---

Follow Michael Mulford on Twitter.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.