Danté

Exum

Unfortunately, it seems that the 30-year-old will have to undergo a follow-up surgery on the same knee. It’s been a difficult career for Exum after being taken fifth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. He appeared in 82 games in his rookie season, but then missed the following year with an injury and only appeared in more than 42 games once over the remaining five years before leaving the NBA to continue playing overseas. He came back to the league with the Mavericks last season and averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game.

Exum, who agreed to a one-year deal in July that did not become official until late August, has not participated in training camp or either of Dallas’ two preseason games with a sore right knee. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said Saturday that the team was cautiously approaching the guard’s recovery but did not offer a timeline for his return. With Kyrie Irving (knee) also out, there may be room in the rotation for Brandon Williams once he returns from his hamstring injury. That isn’t enough to make Williams a draftable option in most leagues, but Dallas’ current point guard depth chart enhances D’Angelo Russell’s early-season value.

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee in March, with his absence prompting the Mavericks to sign D’Angelo Russell in free agency and re-sign Dante Exum. However, general manager Nico Harrison’s comments in July that Irving was “ahead of schedule” in his recovery sparked optimism that the point guard could return sooner than expected. Irving clarified in his recent livestream that he has no timeline for a return to action. “There’s no timetable for when I’m coming back, so please don’t ask me when I’m coming back,” Irving said. “Please don’t badger me with all the questions like, ‘Hey, if you’re healthy by November, what do you think about it?’ Please don’t badger me with any questions, guys. I’m going to be ready when I’m ready.” Russell is expected to assume the starting point guard duties in Irving’s absence, raising his fantasy ceiling. Someone else to track during the preseason is undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard, who has received positive reviews in training camp.

Prosper, the 24th overall pick in the 2023 draft, has failed to carve out a consistent role in two seasons with the Mavericks. Also at play is Dallas’ need to free up a standard contract slot to complete the re-signing of Dante Exum. The latter issue is more impactful regarding the Mavericks’ reported desire to find a new home for Prosper. Guard Jaden Hardy was also mentioned as a player who may be on the move, but the Mavericks have limited draft assets to sweeten a trade for either of those young players. Another possibility for Dallas would be to use the waive-and-stretch provision on a player, but they only have until Friday at 5 pm Eastern to go that route per league rules.

Irving was injured in early March and does not have a concrete timeline for returning to game action. However, Harrison’s words about the point guard will spark optimism regarding his return to the court. “Kyrie’s ahead of schedule, but we kind of knew he would be because of the way he attacks his rehab,” Harrison said, according to the Dallas Hoops Journal. “He’s going two or three times a day. As much as he wants to rush it, we don’t want him to. But he’s going to be fine.” Due to Irving’s injury, the Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell in free agency and re-signed Dante Exum. They’ll handle the point guard responsibilities while Dallas awaits Kyrie’s return, with Russell being worth the risk in standard league drafts.

Despite signing D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks clearly needed more ball-handlers. Kyrie Irving (ACL) is set to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season, and Spencer Dinwiddie has signed with the Hornets. For this reason, according to Charania’s report, they’ll hold onto Exum for another season. Injuries limited him to 20 games last season, with the former lottery pick averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 assists and 1.7 three-pointers in 18.6 minutes. Since returning to the NBA during the 2023-24 season, Exum has improved significantly as a shooter. The ability to handle the ball and defend multiple positions will help Dallas account for Irving’s absence, but Exum is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball dramatically.

Dallas has already clinched a spot in the play-in, but the Mavericks have made everyone on their injury report available for Friday’s game against the Rockets. Thompson can still provide points and threes for fantasy managers still in active leagues.

Dinwiddie will not be available for Friday’s game, which frees up minutes within the Mavericks’ perimeter rotation. The good news for Dallas is that Dante Exum, Jaden Hardy and Brandon Williams are available. They’ll help account for Dinwiddie’s absence from the lineup.

Dallas clinched a play-in berth on Wednesday when the Suns lost to the Thunder, so they’re locked into the 10-seed in the West. With Brandon Williams agreeing to a standard contract on Thursday, he’ll be available to play rotation minutes. Depending on who sits, he would be worth the risk in deep leagues that are still active.

No surprise here as Davis was initially listed as probable. There’s probably some extra motivation to play against his former team Wednesday for the 32-year-old power forward. We’ll see if Davis makes himself available for the final two Mavericks games on Friday and Sunday, though.