Mavericks' marquee signing already looks like a nightmare before season begins

One of the Dallas Mavericks' few moves in free agency this summer was signing Dante Exum to a one-year deal, waiving Olivier-Maxence Prosper to do so, but this move could snowball into a disaster before the season even begins. Bringing back Exum was a move that fans were excited about, as he has proved to be a reliable connector and ball handler when healthy, but that caveat has already come back to bite the Mavs.

Exum hasn't practiced yet and missed Dallas' preseason opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, and when asked about Exum after practice on Tuesday, Jason Kidd stated, "he’s just out. That’s all I can tell you."

Official injury reports aren't a standard during the preseason, so Kidd has no fault in keeping his cards close to his chest with whatever is going on with Exum, but he is starting the season on the worst possible note if his potential injury is serious. The Mavericks need Exum's depth off the bench, as Kyrie Irving is set to miss time with a torn ACL, but this mysterious injury may have just thrown off their plan entirely.

Dante Exum's 2025-26 season might be doomed before it begins

Dallas likely expected to lean upon Exum heavily to begin the season, as they wouldn't have waived Prosper, one of their first-round picks from two years ago, if they didn't strongly believe in his abilities, but his Achilles heel from years past seems to be haunting him once again. Last year for the Mavericks, Exum played in 20 games, as he suffered multiple injuries that sidelined him for extended periods of time.

One of these injuries happened during last season's training camp, as he injured his wrist on a dunk attempt, and this caused him to miss the first three months of the season. Mavericks fans will be crossing their fingers that whatever injury he suffered this time around isn't as serious as last year's training camp disaster, and if it is, Dallas could be in some trouble.

If Exum isn't ready to go before the season begins, Dallas will be limited to D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams as reliable point guards who can run the offense. Ryan Nembhard and Jaden Hardy can also provide some insurance when needed, but Nembhard is a rookie on a two-way deal, and Hardy has endlessly proven that he is much better off the ball as a floor spacer and shooter than with the ball in his hands and having to create offense for himself and others.

The Mavericks' backcourt could quickly become a major weakness if Exum and Irving are out to begin the season, and Dallas is limited in the moves that it can make to help fix this issue.

They will likely just be forced to rely on Cooper Flagg more as a ball handler than expected, and this should work out fine after his display against Oklahoma City, but they won't be able to bring in anyone new to help address this problem without complications.

Cutting Exum altogether would be the easiest road out of this windy and treacherous injury tunnel, but the waive-and-stretch deadline has come and gone, and if they were to cut him, they wouldn't have enough money to sign another player to a veteran's minimum deal unless his contract has some non-guaranteed stipulations that haven't come to the surface yet.

Dallas has two players that could be candidates for taking Exum's spot (if they were able to waive him), in Dalano Banton and Dennis Smith Jr., but it seems like both players will likely just play for the Mavericks during the preseason before likely joining the Texas Legends of the G League. In a dream world, the Mavs could get out of Exum's deal and allow these players to battle it out for a roster spot, but this doesn't seem feasible.

The Mavericks seem stuck with Exum for the time being (unless they trade him in a salary dump), and this could turn dark quickly if he is set to miss extended time to begin the regular season. All of this concern around Exum could disappear quickly if whatever he is dealing with is minor, but if it isn't, Dallas is going to start next season in an uphill battle that will require everyone to handle the rock more than they may be comfortable with.