The Dallas Mavericks' rollercoaster of a season continues to trek on, as they were able to claw out a 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, helping them improve to 38-39 while the Hawks fell to 36-40.
Dallas needed this win badly, as they fell victim to their age-old nemesis of playing with low energy and effort on Monday night, but they definitely brought the energy on Wednesday night against Atlanta. Dereck Lively II's return had the crowd fired up, but the undeniable truth that this season has been cursed by injuries remains true.
Dallas has several players out right now due to season-ending injuries, including Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum (potentially, as he is set to be reevaluated in less than two weeks), and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Each of these players would have some sort of role right now if they were healthy, and Jason Kidd has had to look elsewhere when filling in for their minutes.
While all three of those players are beloved in Dallas, one of these players could have already played his final game for the Mavericks, as they have a big decision to make in a week. On April 10, the Mavericks can fill their final roster spot, and they could also explore cutting one of their veterans to make room for a youngster who can help them with their playoff push.
Dante Exum may be as good as gone ahead of playoffs
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavs could explore cutting Exum (subscription required) to allow them to sign two of their two-way standouts for needed depth for the playoffs, such as Kessler Edwards, Brandon Williams, or Kai Jones.
"They'll also need to create an extra roster spot to add both, which realistically can only be done by releasing Dante Exum after Exum sustained a season-ending broken left hand," Stein said when talking about the Mavericks having Williams and Edwards available for the Play-In Tournament.
Exum consistently gave the Mavericks great playmaking, defense, and 3-point shooting when he was on the floor this season, averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting an incredible 44.7 percent from downtown, but this may be the end of the road for him in Dallas.
Cutting Exum seems like the best low-risk option for the Mavericks heading into the playoffs since he likely won't be healthy to begin with, and this under-the-radar move could be the perfect option for the Mavericks to approach full strength for the postseason. Exum is on an expiring deal right now, and Dallas could still explore signing him to a new contract over the summer if they want to bring him back for next season, even if they cut him now.
While they wouldn't have Irving or Prosper, all 13 of the Mavericks' other players on the 15-man roster would be healthy if they sign Williams and Edwards, giving Dallas a much better shot at escaping the Play-In Tournament and securing a spot in the playoffs (likely as the No. 8 seed). Williams would likely immediately reclaim the significant role he had for the entire month of March, and Edwards would give them more wing depth to help defend opposing forwards and bigs.
Nico Harrison and company have a tough decision to make once April 10 rolls around, and the Mavericks' fate in the Play-In Tournament could depend on it.