Dallas Mavericks dealt crushing blow as key veteran sidelined until 2025

The Dallas Mavericks are already facing adversity and the 2024-25 season hasn't even begun.

Dallas began the preseason with a narrow loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday which included strong games from Jazian Gortman and Dereck Lively II. Still, the excitement around Gortman's fight for the final roster spot and Lively II's second-year jump has been overshadowed by an untimely injury to Dante Exum.

Exum injured his right wrist during training camp on a play that Jason Kidd said was likely either a dunk or a hard fall, and this injury looks like it will keep him out for a significant amount of time.

Dante Exum to miss three months following wrist surgery

Exum underwent a successful surgery on Tuesday to repair his wrist injury, and according to ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania, Exum is expected to be out for three months. Three months from today would put Exum's expected return in early January, and they'll likely be without one of their most important role players from last season until 2025.

Exum provided great minutes off the bench for Dallas last season, and he even stepped up as a spot starter when injuries happened. He averaged 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.4 steals per game while shooting 49.1 percent from downtown, and he did all of the little things when the Mavs needed him most. His deadly 3-point shooting and ability to handle the ball were highly valued by the Mavs all season long, and he had several huge clutch moments throughout the season.

Exum was also a good guard defender last season, and fans had high hopes for what his 2024-25 season would look like. He struggled significantly in the playoffs last season and even got passed in the rotation for Jaden Hardy, and fans will have to wait some time until he'll make his season debut.

Injuries have not been kind to Exum ever since he joined the Mavs, as he only played in 55 games last season and suffered a finger injury over the summer. Exum was originally fully healthy before suffering this wrist injury, and Spencer Dinwiddie and Hardy will have to step up even more.

Exum's steady hand from last season can't be undermined, and the Mavs will have to look elsewhere for ball handling off the bench. Both Dinwiddie and Hardy should be more than capable of providing some scoring and ball handling off the bench, but neither provides the same all-around impact that Exum does.

Dallas will have a hard choice to make next summer when it comes to Exum as his contract is set to expire after this season. On one hand, he is a great player off the bench and is one of the best shooters on the team. On the other hand, his injury problem from his first stint in the NBA seems to be returning and there is some unreliability there.

Exum missing a couple of months gives the Mavs a major hurdle that they have to navigate for the first few months of the season, and Kidd's "next man up" mentality is going to be put to the test beginning on opening night.