Dallas Mavericks praised for underrated signing

The Dallas Mavericks are making some sly moves in free agency.

Feb 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) and guard Dante Exum (0) react after a play against the. Boston Celtics in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are bringing back point guard Dante Exum on a one-year deal, where he is expected to fill in for the injured Kyrie Irving while he recovers from his torn ACL.

Alongside D'Angelo Russell, the Mavericks have a pair of point guards that can keep things steady until Irving returns.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley named the Exum deal one of 10 "sneaky-good" signings so far this offseason.

Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum dribbles during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Exum to Mavs praised by analyst

"Multiple contenders coveted Exum, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Merely hanging onto him was a big win for the Mavericks then, but doing so for minimum money locked his re-signing onto this list," Buckley wrote.

"His disruptive, switchable defense is arguably worth more than that on its own, but the 29-year-old has legitimate offensive skills, too. During his first two seasons in Dallas, he shot 51.6 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three (albeit on low volume) while more than tripling his turnovers (0.9) with assists (2.8).

"In other words, Exum is a good enough decision-maker to help hold things over while Kyrie Irving works his way back from a torn ACL and a good enough off-ball player to maintain value when the Mavs are back at full strength."

Exum, 29, played in just 20 games for the Mavs last season, but he finished the year healthy.

The hope is that he will be able to play more in the upcoming season, especially with more of an opportunity at minutes.

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