The only constant on the Dallas Mavericks this calendar year has been change—but the team will reportedly have one familiar face back in 2026.
The Mavericks are bringing back guard Dante Exum on a one-year contract, according to a Wednesday afternoon report from Shams Charania of ESPN.
Exum, 29, was limited by a broken hand in 2024-25. However, he averaged a career-high 8.7 points per game in 20 games for Dallas.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Exum was taken fifth in the 2014 draft by the Utah Jazz. The son of former North Carolina guard Cecil Exum played parts of five season with the Jazz and two with the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling out of the NBA entirely. Time spent playing in Spain and Serbia helped Exum join the Mavericks, and he played for them in the 2024 Finals.
Free agent guard Dante Exum has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell ESPN. Exum considered two other contenders but returns to Dallas to share ball-handling duties to start the season with D'Angelo Russell. pic.twitter.com/3GZBxTgb8c
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025
Dallas is coming off a 39-43 season—an 11-game decrease from '24 amid a raft of injuries and the still-stunning trade of guard Luka Doncic.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mavericks Agree to Deal With Veteran Guard Dante Exum.
