11:56 am: Fenerbahçe just confirmed Powell’s season‑long contract. Could this be the spark Istanbul needs? (Twitter link).
7:04 am: After the Mavericks cut him before the season, veteran NBA big man Dwight Powell is close to sealing a one‑year pact with Turkish club Fenerbahçe, BasketNews’ Donatas Urbonas reports.
Powell, 35, spent almost his entire 12‑year NBA tenure in Dallas, traded from Boston to the Mavericks in his 2014 rookie season. The 6‑ft‑11‑in forward/center logged 763 regular‑season games for the Mavs, averaging 6.5 points, 4.3 rebounds in 17.6 minutes while shooting 60.5% from the floor.
Once a regular starter, Powell now embraces a bench role, offering veteran leadership that many clubs covet. The concern here is his production slipped to 3.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 14.3 minutes over 63 games last year.
Powell was in camp with the Mavericks this fall on a minimum‑salary contract partially guaranteed for $1 MM. Keeping him would have forced a trade or waiver of a fully guaranteed player, a move the front office chose to avoid, leaving the Canadian big man out of the 15‑man roster.
There had been speculation Powell might return to Dallas if a spot opened, but he now appears set to debut in the EuroLeague this season.
Assuming the deal is finalized, Powell joins Istanbul‑based Fenerbahçe, a perennial EuroLeague contender that reached the Final Four three straight years and captured the 2025 title. The roster features former NBA talent like Shane Larkin, Talen Horton‑Tucker, Braxton Key, Wade Baldwin, Trent Forrest, Nicolo Melli and Johnny Juzang.