Breaking: Dallas Mavericks Officially Lose Guard For Entire Season

The 2025-26 season has been an utter disaster thus far for the Dallas Mavericks (although many fans will say the firing of GM Nico Harrison answered their prayers). The team just got more bad news, as they've announced that guard Dante Exum will miss the entire season, as he'll be undergoing more knee surgery.

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. pic.twitter.com/ImZmkWoncP
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 20, 2025

After a couple of seasons of solid work off the bench (when he was available), the Mavs re-signed Exum in the offseason. But he was never cleared to practice following summer knee surgery. Complications from that procedure will now lead to a second surgery, ending Exum's season before it even began.

The former 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft (2014, Utah Jazz) stood to get more time at the point this season had he been healthy, as Kyrie Irving is out for much of the year, and might not even return at all this season, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon of The Hoop Collective. "The best interest for Kyrie and the franchise might be, hey, let's rest the rest of the season and make sure when you're back next year, it's truly 100%," said MacMahon.

He also suggested Irving could even be traded next summer, as the team could consider tanking and doing a refresh next offseason.

The Mavs have started the year 4-12, and sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Anthony Davis is also out for a significant period.

As for Exum, he'd averaged about 19 minutes a night off the bench for Dallas the past couple of years—when he's been healthy, which is not often. But he averaged a whopping 47% from three-point land in the 75 games he did get into with the team.

They had signed Exum to a one-year, fully guaranteed $3.3M contract for this season.