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26m ago

Mavericks Step Up Talks to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper to Clear Path for Dante Exum

Dallas is working to resolve a second‑apron crunch that has stalled Exum’s one‑year deal since early July.

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Feb 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket between Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (8) and guard Dante Exum (0) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report the push is focused on moving Prosper to create the space needed to finalize Exum’s signing, with ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel echoing the effort.
  • Dallas is hard‑capped at the second apron after using the taxpayer mid‑level on D’Angelo Russell; the team sits about $1.6 million below the $207.824 million line, short of the $2.296 million minimum cap hit for Exum.
  • The Mavericks currently have 15 players on guaranteed or partial deals, so offloading Prosper would also open a roster spot for Exum.
  • Potential avenues include attaching cash—Dallas can send nearly $8 million—or draft compensation to move Prosper, with waiving and stretching by Friday noted as a fallback to create room.
  • Context for the move includes Kyrie Irving’s expected absence into early 2026 and Spencer Dinwiddie’s departure, with Exum viewed as the backup behind Russell despite appearing in only 20 games last season; Prosper, 23, has averaged 3.5 points in 10 minutes over two seasons.