Mavericks Reserve Sidelined for Three Months After Surgery

The Mavericks have a deep team and hope to sustain the loss of a key reserve

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum (0) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Dante Exum sustained a right wrist injury during training camp for the Dallas Mavericks and hoped to avoid surgery. When the Mavericks announced the injury last week, they were still exploring options to treat the injury.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Exum underwent surgery on Wednesday morning, which is expected to keep him out for at least three months. It was not announced what exactly the surgery was for. If that timeline stays true, he should be back sometime around the Trail Blazers game on January 9th. The Mavericks have a deep team and hope the combination of Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie is enough to replace everything Exum brought to the table.

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Dallas has been dealt a few injuries early on already, with Luka Doncic missing time due to a calf contusion and Maxi Kleber and Kessler Edwards sitting out with ankle injuries. Doncic's injury isn't projected to affect his regular season availability, while there hasn't been any official word on Kleber or Edwards yet.

Exum broke out as a key rotation member for Dallas last year, coming back to the NBA with a refined three-point jump shot. He had his second-highest scoring season ever in the NBA at 7.8 PPG while shooting a blistering 49.1% from three-point range, including some clutch shots against the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. His background as a point guard gave the Mavericks a lot of positional versatility and will be missed in the time he misses games.

The Mavericks host their next preseason game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST in Dallas, where Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are expected to play for the first time this preseason.

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson Will 'Most Likely' Play Rest of Preseason

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