Kidd drops unexpected injury update that every Mavericks fan is anxiously awaiting

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks took care of business on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans as they earned a 137-136 win to improve to 26-22 on the year, and they have now won three of four games for the first time in 2025.

Everyone is figuring out their roles more by the game, and Daniel Gafford has been a major difference-maker in this stretch without Dereck Lively II. Gafford's rim protection has been unreal recently, as he is the No. 2 shot blocker in the NBA in 2025 only trailing Victor Wembanyama, and he has been destroying teams inside due to his strength, touch, and increased energy.

More weight has been forced onto Gafford's shoulders from Jason Kidd due to the unreal injury bug that has plagued the team this season, specifically the center position, and Gafford has ended up being the only big who has been able to stay healthy. He has played in 46 of Dallas' 48 games this season which is tied for the most on the team, but unfortunately, some of his teammates haven't been as lucky as him when it comes to durability.

Dallas has a plethora of role players who have missed at least 10 games due to various injuries and illnesses, but no one has missed more games than Dante Exum. He was poised to have a bounce-back year for Dallas following a rough showing in the playoffs, but a training camp injury derailed everything and threw a major wrench into the Mavs' plans.

Dante Exum's long-awaited return is finally within reach

Exum had to get wrist surgery at the beginning of October, and he has been out ever since, but his return could be on the horizon according to Kidd.

"He's trending in the right way," Kidd said about Exum's recovery on Wednesday in New Orleans. "His wrist feels really good. He looks good. We'll see how he does today and tomorrow. Hopefully that continues & we'll get to see him sometime maybe on this trip. Maybe."

Kidd emphasized that Exum's season debut while on this five-game road trip is a major "maybe," but that is a great sign for him and his recovery. He was upgraded to doubtful for the first time all season before the game against New Orleans, and fans can't wait to see Exum return to the floor.

The Mavericks have missed his steady hand at point guard for months, as Kidd has had to heavily rely on Spencer Dinwiddie for most of the season. While Dinwiddie has had some outstanding games and has stepped up in big moments, Exum's natural ability to limit mistakes, knock down open shots, and play strong perimeter defense has been missed.

Exum singlehandedly won some games for Dallas last season with clutch shot-making at the end of games, and he was truly one of the glue guys for the Mavericks for most of the regular season. His performance for Dallas last season was some of the best hoops we've ever seen out of him, and his looming comeback is something that is going to give the team a major boost.

Kidd's update on Exum is a major change from last week when he said that Exum is not close to returning to the lineup, and time will tell if he is able to make his season debut on this road trip that lasts until February 6.