Despite rumors that he’s being targeted by the Turkish team Fenerbahce, veteran guard Dante Exum is believed to prefer to remain in the NBA for the 2025/26 season, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
According to Stein, Exum and the Mavericks have mutual interest in trying to work out a new deal after he spent the past two years in Dallas.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Exum spent the first seven years of his professional career in the NBA, playing for Utah and Cleveland, but struggled to establish himself as a reliable rotation player, largely due to his lack of offensive production. He played in Europe for two seasons from 2021-23, developing a reliable three-point shot during his time with Barcelona and Partizan Belgrade, then returned stateside during the 2023 offseason.
Injuries, which hampered Exum’s development earlier in his career, have continued to be an issue during his second NBA stint, limiting him to 75 total appearances across the past two seasons. But he has been a very effective role player for the Mavs when healthy, averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .516/.472/.768.
As Stein points out, Dallas will be seeking backcourt help for next season with Kyrie Irving‘s recovery from ACL surgery expected to extend well into the fall. That should help create a path for Exum’s return. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
However, the team might have to make a trade or two to ensure there’s room on the roster for Exum. Dallas has 10 players on guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, plus Irving and Dwight Powell holding player options, Brandon Williams with a team-friendly club option, and Cooper Flagg expected to join the roster as the No. 1 pick in the draft. That’s 14 players, and the Mavs are expected to look outside the organization for point guard help as well.
The Mavs will hold Early Bird rights on Exum, who earned $3.15MM this past season.