The Dallas Mavericks re-signed Dante Exum to a one-year deal over the offseason, and this decision is looking like a disaster just under three weeks into the season. Exum hasn't played in a single game yet this season due to "right knee injury management," and Jason Kidd declined to give an update when asked about his progress in returning to the floor before last night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"No update on Dante," Kidd stated.
Not only has Exum's absence left a major hole in the backcourt, but it has also made it seem like bringing him back in free agency was a major mistake. Exum's injury history has been a major red flag for years, but Dallas bet on him being able to stay healthy and brought him back. Every roster spot matters in today's NBA, and Exum has been in street clothes for every game that Dallas has played thus far.
Dante Exum still hasn't played a game this season
To make matters worse, Dallas had to cut Olivier-Maxence Prosper in order to make room for Exum. While Prosper never shone on the Mavericks like fans expected he would when Dallas drafted him with the No. 24 overall pick in 2023, he is still a fully healthy player that the Mavericks could've kept instead of signing Exum.
Dallas' injuries have already derailed the season, with Dereck Lively II, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford missing significant time, and Prosper would've at least been another body that Kidd could've utilized for frontcourt depth.
Heading into the offseason, the Mavericks knew that Kyrie Irving was going to miss at least half of the season, meaning that they needed to take their search for his replacement very seriously. Fans pushed for Nico Harrison to trade for a guard to fill their massive shot-creation void, but he decided to stand pat for the most part.
They responded to fans' pleas by signing D'Angelo Russell and re-signing Exum, and both of these moves were far too risky for many fans' liking. Fans were excited about Exum returning since it was on a veteran's minimum deal, and he has been excellent when on the floor, but his injuries have been a nightmare in Dallas.
While Russell has been one of the few hands that can run the offense, his shooting inefficiency has been a major concern. Last night, he got sent to the bench in favor of Brandon Williams, and this signing clearly hasn't worked out as well as they would've liked.
The Mavericks clearly needed Exum to stay healthy this season due to Irving's injury, but he hasn't been able to even touch the court yet. Whatever is going on with his right knee seems serious, and it seems much more severe than the "sore knee irritation" that Kidd described it as back in early October.
It must be remembered that Exum had surgery on his right knee back in March of 2019 when he partially tore his patellar tendon, and Dallas seems to be taking a careful approach when it comes to his recovery this time around. He doesn't seem close to returning, and Kidd refraining from providing any sort of update is a bit concerning.
Kidd typically strays away from giving medical updates unless he absolutely has to, but the fact that he wouldn't even say if he is doing anything on the court is a bad sign when it comes to Exum's future availability. Even giving a small update would've been a major breath of fresh air for Mavericks fans, and every game that he misses makes Dallas' choice to give him another contract look even worse.