The Dallas Mavericks kicked off NBA free agency by making one of the biggest dominoes fall in Kyrie Irving. Although it was always likely that Irving was going to re-sign with the Mavs in free agency, he was rumored to be possibly meeting with other teams. They kept the Irving and Luka Doncic pairing though so the next step is building a contending roster around them. They brought back another one of their own free agents in Dwight Powell and they brought in sharpshooter Seth Curry. The Mavs then made a rather intriguing free agency move in signing former lottery pick Dante Exum to a guaranteed contract as per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Free agent G Dante Exum – a former No. 5 overall pick – is returning to the NBA on a guaranteed deal with the Dallas Mavericks, his agent Brandon Rosenthal tells ESPN. After leading Partizan to their first title in a decade, Exum brings his perimeter versatility to the Mavs.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2023
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Exum has not played in the league since a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2020-21 season. He played in only six games, including three starts, for the Cavs before being traded to the Houston Rockets. He never suited up for the Rockets though as he was out for the season with an injury. Exum ended up re-signing with the Rockets in NBA free agency during the 2021 offseason but they cut him during training camp.
During his last full season in the NBA in 2019-20 when he split time with the Jazz and Cavs, Exum averaged 4.5 points per game, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists with splits of 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 34.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 74.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Dante Exum will now hope to get his NBA career back on track with the Mavs. He never lived up to his lottery status with the Jazz and injuries also played a role during his early seasons in the NBA.
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