Dallas Mavericks Sign Former No. 5 Overall Draft Pick Dante Exum

Dante Exum is making his return to the NBA. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Dallas Mavericks are signing the 2014 No. 5 overall draft pick to a guaranteed contract.

NBA insider Marc Stein reports that the deal is a one-year, veteran’s minimum agreement. Given Exum’s six years of NBA experience, he’ll earn over $2.5 million playing for Dallas next season.

While Exum may seem like an out-of-the-blue signing, there’s a Dallas connection. Dennis Lindsay, a front office advisor with the Mavericks, drafted Exum when he was general manager of the Utah Jazz.

Exum has been playing overseas in Europe for the last two seasons. He most recently competed with Serbian team KK Partizan, helping the club win the 2022-23 season ABA Championship. He averaged 11.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in ABA play.

The EuroLeague playoffs didn’t end on such a high note. Exum reportedly suffered a ruptured tendon in his toe after being slammed to the floor during a brawl between Partizan and Real Madrid during the playoffs. Real Madrid eventually sent Partizan packing with a 3-2 series win.

Unfortunately, injuries are nothing new for Exum. He last played in the NBA during the 2020-21 season, appearing in six games with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He suffered a non-contact left calf strain in the opening minute of that sixth game that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Injuries curtailed much of his NBA career. An ACL tear in his left knee sidelined him for the 2015-16 season. A shoulder injury limited him to 14 games in 2017-18. The following year, he missed two months with an ankle sprain and later suffered a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

Exum played in just 245 games during his previous stint in the NBA with the Jazz and Cavaliers.