The Dallas Mavericks announced on their official website Thursday that Australian guard Danté Exum is ruled out for the season due to complications from right knee surgery which he had underwent during the offseason.

According to the Mavericks' official statement, Exum will undergo further surgery on his right knee to correct the complications arising from the injury. After the surgery, the player will be sidelined for nearly a year, meaning Exum's season is now over.

The devastating news of Exum's season-ending injury is a huge blow to the Mavericks' backcourt depth.

With Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL in March, the Mavericks' plans were to extend Exum's contract for one year as a free agent and make him their starting shooting guard.

They even waived their former first-round pick, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, to make room for Exum.

Unfortunately, Exum's season-ending injury forced the Mavericks to change their plans, playing two-way deal player Brandon Williams as starter.

While D'Angelo Russell primarily play by coming off the bench.

This devasting injury was a further blow to Exum, who had already been plagued by injuries in recent years.

Despite playing 20 games in the 2024/25 season, Exum nearly missed the rest of the season due to a right wrist injury and a fractured left hand. Prior to that, he had missed 55 games due to injury.

About Danté Exum

The 30-year-old Exum was born on July 13, 1995, in Melbourne, Australia. He is 1.96 meters tall and primarily plays shooting guard, but can also play point guard.

Exum was selected 5th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.

However, during his five years with the Jazz, Exum only played 215 games due to injuries, even suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his second year.

In July 2023, Exum joined the Dallas Mavericks.

However, since joining the Mavericks, Exum has only played 75 games for the NBA team. Plagued by injuries, he averaged only 6.2 points and 3.3 assists per game in his career.