Mavericks power forward Dwight Powell will decline his $10.26MM player option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports.

Powell was entering the final year of a four-year, $37MM contract signed in 2016. The 6’11” Powell, 27, averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.5 APG in 21.6 MPG this season. Powell has spent much of his five-year career with the Mavs, starting just 51 out of 331 career games. He was a second-round selection in the 2014 draft.

The decision comes as somewhat of a surprise, since Powell had expressed interest in staying with Dallas and owner Mark Cuban mentioned during a radio interview that Powell might receive a three-year extension. It’s still possible that Powell returns with the Mavericks but he could be leaving quite a bit of money on the table for someone who has served a second-unit role most of his career.

The addition of Kristaps Porzingis made it likely that Powell would remain a bench player, so perhaps he’s looking for a team that views him as a starter. Dallas is expected to be very active in the free agent and trade markets this summer, as it only has $45.9MM in guaranteed salaries on its current payroll for next season.