Mavericks' newest signing could quietly replace injury-riddled fan-favorite

This could be what the Mavericks need amidst Dante Exum's injury struggles.

Will Miller

Los Angeles Lakers v Portland Trail Blazers / Soobum Im/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks made a slight edit to their roster on Tuesday afternoon, as they signed Dalano Banton to a training camp deal, releasing guard Matthew Cleveland in the process. Banton is a wiry 6-foot-8 guard with a pretty dynamic handle, but a lack of strength and inefficiency from outside have limited him from breaking into a consistent role with an NBA team.

However, Banton could be the perfect player to replace Dante Exum in Dallas, given they are both bigger-bodied guards that can use their length and foot-speed to their advantage at the point of attack, but Banton is only 25 years old and is far less injury-riddled compared to Exum.

Admittedly, Banton will have an uphill battle to snag a guard spot on Dallas' roster just like Dennis Smith Jr., especially since his amount of league experience prevents him from being signed to Dallas' final two-way slot, but he's definitely an intriguing enough player for Dallas to at least keep on their G League affiliate, Texas Legends, if at all possible.

Dalano Banton could be the perfect Exum replacement one day

Exum hasn't been healthy for most of camp and missed Dallas' first preseason game, though he practiced on Sunday for the Mavericks, so hopefully he isn't dealing with anything major and can return for Dallas' next preseason game versus the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. If Exum continues to miss time in preseason, though, this could provide an opportunity for Banton to supplant Exum in the minds of some of Dallas' coaches.

It's extremely doubtful Banton would perform well enough for Dallas to trade away Exum before the season starts, as his only viable path to a roster spot without Dallas making a trade would be to surpass fellow guard Brandon Williams, but he's definitely a player the Mavericks could try and keep around in helps of developing him to be Exum's replacement for next season and beyond, especially since Exum will be a free agent again next summer.

Banton averaged nearly 17 points while playing almost 30 minutes per game during a 30-game stretch for the Portland Trailblazers in the 2023-24 season, so it's clear he can replicate some of Exum's downhill production, and he doesn't have a bad floater or in-between game either. Banton probably isn't as stout a defender as Exum, but he has the length to be very good on that end, especially against smaller guards.

Overall, Banton's outside shot will make or break his NBA lifespan, but there aren't many guards who can playmake and shot-create at two levels that are also 6-foot-8, so his skillset is undeniably intriguing for the Mavericks. The Mavericks obviously covet Exum, but he's on the wrong side of 30 years old and has appeared in less than half of Dallas' regular-season games over the past two seasons, so Banton would be a great option to eventually overtake his services, even if he doesn't make the main roster this camp.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.