This weekend, the Dallas Mavericks made the decision to move on from John Poulakidas. Dallas waived him on Saturday, along with Seth Lundy, allowing both players to hit free agency right before the 2026-27 season begins.

Poulakidas’ departure is particularly puzzling due to Dallas’ desperate need for more shooting, and it makes this problem even worse.

Dallas’ shooting could get even worse without John Poulakidas

This move opens up a two-way spot for the Mavs, as Poulakidas has been on a two-way contract with Dallas since the end of last season, and it makes the team’s already-suspect 3-point shooting even worse. The Mavericks ranked in the bottom five in 3-pointers attempted, 3-pointers made, and 3-point percentage last season, and getting rid of Poulakidas does not help fix this problem.

Shooting has been his identity for his entire career, and after watching Dallas’ four preseason games, it looks like their long-range shooting is going to be a problem once again.

Poulakidas gave the Mavericks a reason to keep him

He shot 40.3 percent from three as a rookie on 5.9 attempts per game, showing real potential as a volume shooter over 13 games for the Mavs. Poulakidas finished last season with 17 made threes over the final three regular-season games, and he remained on the roster for Summer League and all four preseason games.

Poulakidas showed that he can thrive in an expanded role over those final three games last season, and even as his volume increased, the efficiency remained.

He showed his value in Dallas’ third preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans, finishing with 16 points and four made 3-pointers in 26 minutes. Poulakidas was one of the only players who could knock down open shots for the Mavericks in that game, and it seemed like his spot on Dallas’ roster was safe due to their need for more 3-point shooting.

Dallas’ offseason shooting overhaul still doesn’t look like it’ll be enough

Even after adding several good shooters this offseason, the Mavs’ shooting doesn’t seem like it’s going to be good enough to be a playoff team. Dallas shot 43.3 3-pointers per game during the preseason, which ranked fifth in the NBA, but shot 32.4 percent on these shots (26th in the NBA).

The Mavericks were getting some good looks and shooting high volume, but they clearly didn’t have enough quality shooting. Kyrie Irving’s return will help, as he shot 5-for-7 from three in Dallas’ game on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, but he can’t fix this issue on his own.

Mavericks now have a hole to fill

Poulakidas seemed like someone who could help fix the Mavericks’ 3-point woes and grow alongside Cooper Flagg and the rest of the young core. He was already one of the best 3-point shooters on the team as a 23-year-old, and outplayed Tarik Biberovic, who’s supposed to be known for his shooting, during the preseason.

Poulakidas’ confidence, range, and quick release make him a threat from anywhere beyond the arc, and outside of Biberovic, he was the only player on the team known as a 3-point specialist. Dallas could’ve used him off the bench in certain situations while also allowing him to develop with the Texas Legends.

Now, the Mavericks will have to look externally to find someone to fill that two-way spot. Poulakidas seemed like someone who could grow in the organization and give them some reliable shooting off the bench, but the team seemed to think otherwise.

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