Dallas Mavericks Make Calculated Call on Dante Exum’s Future Amid Roster Decisions

January 12, 2026, 1:17am EST 4 • By Debmallya Chakraborty

Mavericks delay waiving injured Dante Exum, keeping his $3.3M contract flexible amid roster decisions, Anthony Davis struggles, and potential Ryan Nembhard conversion trade flexibility talks.

The Dallas Mavericks had a lot of expectations for their team this year. With the likes of Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg raring to go, the fans, as well as the front office, wanted to aim at a potential championship run. Sadly, all of that fell apart drastically, as Dallas failed to show consistency on the pitch.

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Joining the team from the Lakers last year, Davis has had a particularly unimpressive season so far. As injury plagued his game once again, Davis has now been sidelined to the bench. Under such a critical situation, the team’s woes have been doubled with an injury to Dante Exum. Following a complication arising from a knee procedure in the offseason, the Australian has been sidelined for the season.

However, despite the grim situation, the team might not want to waive Exum immediately. Reporting on the same, Marc Stein stated, “The Dallas Mavericks, league sources say, are not rushing to waive injured guard Dante Exum to create the needed roster room to convert two-way guard Ryan Nembhard to a standard NBA contract in the event that a trade materializes that necessitates the inclusion of Exum’s $3.3 million contract.”

Well, such news might come as a respite for the Australian guard. However, for the team, the situation remains significantly more volatile. Struggling to find a rhythm, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly ready to trade everybody except two.

Dallas Mavericks Are Willing To Trade Everyone Except Cooper Flagg And Kyrie Irving

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving (Photo By Imagn Images)
Mavericks have reportedly reached a breaking point, it seems. Plagued with inconsistent performance and injuries, the team is actively looking for trade options. And as per Stein Line’s report, they are willing to find a deal for everybody in the roster except for Flagg and Irving.

“The Dallas Mavericks “are believed to be willing to discuss trades for anyone on the roster” outside of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, per @TheSteinLine,” the report stated.

Thus, with things looking pretty problematic at the moment, fans cannot wait to see what strategy the Dallas Mavericks come up with in the future.