Reserve Mavericks guard Dante Exum has sustained a “serious” injury to his right wrist, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania that various treatment options are under consideration for Exum, with surgery viewed as one possibility.
The Mavericks confirmed the injury in a statement of their own, but offered no additional details, simply stating that Exum has injured his right wrist and will continue to be evaluated, with updates to come (Twitter link).
It’s a disappointing setback for Exum, who dealt with an injury affecting his right index finger over the summer. A compound dislocation of that finger sidelined the veteran guard for Australia’s first contest in the Paris Olympics, though he was able to suit up for the team’s remaining three games and was a key contributor for the Boomers, with averages of 11.0 points and 4.0 assists per game.
Exum told reporters earlier this week that he was “fully healthy” after getting nearly two months to recover from that injury. Now it appears he’ll open the 2024/25 season on the shelf.
Exum, 29, was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, but battled health issues early in his NBA career and struggled to become a reliable rotation piece. He spent two seasons overseas from 2021-23 and earned another shot in the NBA with strong performances for FC Barcelona in Spain and KK Partizan in Serbia.
The 6’5″ guard signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks during the 2023 offseason and played a regular role for the Western Conference champions last season, averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.9 APG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line and strong defense in 55 games (19.8 MPG).
If Exum has to miss time this fall, it could result in additional opportunities for Spencer Dinwiddie, Quentin Grimes, and/or Jaden Hardy.
Dinwiddie will step up