New Mavericks signing just gave Jason Kidd something he desperately needed

After the Dallas Mavericks waived Olivier-Maxence Prosper on Friday, it officially made room for them to bring back Dante Exum sometime soon. Dallas had been rumored to bring back Exum for months, as rumors that they had agreed to terms to bring him back emerged earlier in the summer, but they had to get rid of a player on a standard deal to create an open roster spot.

Now, with Exum being signed soon, it will finally give Jason Kidd another ball handler that he can utilize while Kyrie Irving is out. Irving will miss a decent chunk of next season after he tore his ACL back in March, and with the Exum signing happening at some point soon, Kidd will have another player who can run the offense and solidify the backcourt to begin the season.

The Mavs' backcourt was looking shaky heading into next season, and with Exum returning, they will have another guard who can play both ends of the floor while being trusted in clutch situations.

Dante Exum finally gives Jason Kidd another capable ball handler

Signing D'Angelo Russell and Exum were the only moves that Dallas made this offseason to strengthen their guard room for the beginning of next season (along with signing Ryan Nembard to a two-way deal), and Exum is quietly going to have a decent amount of pressure upon his shoulders. Dallas will need him to be great, especially considering that their free agency was fairly quiet, and his minutes could end up increasing compared to his 18.6 minutes per game from last season.

He will likely play a major role, along with Russell, and Kidd will end up leaning upon him early and often when they need some playmaking and ball handling. Especially while Irving is out.

While Exum isn't the same on-ball creator that Russell is, he almost always makes the right decision, drills open shots, and has a steady hand while running the offense. Kidd can use Exum as a point guard or shooting guard, or even on the wing, and his versatility is quietly one of the best parts about his game. Exum has played the majority of his minutes as a Maverick at shooting guard, but his height and playmaking make him someone who can play on the wing or as the point guard.

He can guard multiple positions on one end and play sound defense while being able to play on or off the ball offensively, and Kidd should be able to roll out countless lineup combinations to begin next season that include Exum.

Last season for Dallas, Exum averaged 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and an impressive 43.4 percent from downtown, but struggled to stay on the floor. Exum's injuries have been his Achilles heel ever since he entered the NBA, and with Irving set to miss a large portion of next season, Exum is going to need to be ready to roll.

Kidd is likely ecstatic that the Mavericks will bring back Exum, as he was going to be in an extremely tough situation to begin next season if they didn't sign him. It would have put all of the ball-handling pressure upon Russell and Brandon Williams, and even though Cooper Flagg is expected to handle the ball often, Exum is going to give them the depth they need to survive the first half of the season without Irving.