3 Mavericks on the Chopping Block Next After Surprise Trade

3. Dante Exum

A common theme here is players who were largely left out of Jason Kidd's playoff rotation. Dante Exum went from playing 20 minutes per game in the regular season to just 6.9 minutes in the postseason, illustrating Kidd's true feelings toward the veteran point guard.

Exum has two years left on his low-cost deal and made an impressive 49% of his three-pointers this season, albeit on limited volume. He averaged 7.8 points per contest, his most since 2017-18, so it's reasonable that a team would take a chance on his continued development.

Similar to Markelle Fultz, perhaps Exum could be a late bloomer for a young squad in need of a steadying presence on the bench. He served that role admirably for the Mavericks, though it's clear Kidd prefers a more trusted floor general in the playoffs.

There's a reasonable argument to be made that Kidd should've just played Exum more down the stretch. Dončić clearly wore out, and perhaps Dallas' lesson will be to further commit to Exum's improvement.

The Mavericks desperately need a backup point guard to spell Dončić's playmaking load. Far too often, Dallas' bench collapsed while Luka was resting. If Exum turns into that steadying presence, things become far easier.

If the team's brass doesn't think Exum is that guy though, they won't hesitate to find one in the trade market or free agency this offseason.

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