The Dallas Mavericks just have not been able to keep up in what seems like the longest season. It has gone clearly downhill from the start. Guard Danté Exum has spent the entire season so far on the injury list, 16 games and not one appearance. The frustration is palpable for a club hoping to rebound. And even that bit of hope was gone. 

As Michael Scotto reported on X, “JUST IN: Dallas Mavericks guard Danté Exum will miss the remainder of the season. Exum has continued to deal with complications from a right knee procedure in the offseason, and it has been determined that a follow-up surgery will be necessary.” With his probable return ruled out completely, the Mavs lose yet another guard option just when they needed depth most. But what they do now is going to determine the rest of their already troubled season. 

One would think that the Mavericks would make the obvious roster move after Exum’s injury update and try to trade him. But, thanks to the old strategies of former GM Nico Harrison, things do not play out so cleanly. As reported by ESPN’s Bobby Marks on X, the void left by Exum’s absence is not easy to patch, “Exum signed a one-year, $3.3M contract in the offseason, putting Dallas in a tricky cap situation- they already have 15 players on roster and would need to waive Exum just to create a roster spot.”

Exum’s injury stems from a right-knee surgical procedure carried out in the offseason. However the reason of the injury is not listed publicly. The complications lingered from that surgery and now have forced the follow-up operation. Danté Exum has had a history of injury setbacks even before this season. In October 2024, he underwent right wrist surgery, which sidelined him for several months. His absence now casts a long shadow over Dallas’s hopes.

However, their next move is not as straightforward. Because Dallas is hard-capped at the second apron. And the team is not allowed to sign any replacement player until January 6. Complicating matters further, the 10-day contract window opens on January 5, leaving them in a tight bind.

What this means is that Harrison’s prior maneuvering has now back fired, even after he is gone. One of his many such decisions was to waive and stretch Olivier-Maxence Prosper to make room for Exum back in September of 2025. Now they have just about US $1.3 million of  salary room left under the second-apron hard cap. And with that the Mavericks’ financial flexibility is extremely limited. Much of that is a by product of Harrison’s roster construction over his nine-month tenure. In the span of which, Harrison traded out key pieces, including Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, and Quentin Grimes. As a result, they now lack the flexibility to replace Exum mid-season, despite his contract and roster spot being essentially unusable now. 

Why moving Anthony Davis or Klay Thompson could help Dallas

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks are seriously weighing a trade involving Anthony Davis once he is healthy. This might be signaling their intent to lean fully into a Cooper Flagg, centric core. As the 18 year old rookie has averaged 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his debut season. Meanwhile Davis carries a massive contract (he is set to make over $54 million in the 2025‑26 season). So trading him would free up significant cap space and future flexibility.

Another potential trade candidate is Klay Thompson. He is on a 3 year long, $50 million deal. His veteran presence and shooting appeal was supposed to form a trio with AD and KAI but he is spending most of his 2025026 season on the bench.

That said, now that  Mark Cuban, is back to serving as an advisor to governor Patrick Dumont, he has publicly shut down any rumor to move Davis. “We won’t. We want to try to win,” Cuban said. While the math suggests trading Davis or Thompson would bring the Mavs the opportunity to build around their future MVP Cooper Flagg. Game wise, the Mavs are coming off a head to head defeat of 113-111 versus the New York Knicks. With a 4-12 record, they will next face the Grizzlies on Sunday, November 22.