Didn’t play a game! The season is over! The Mavericks are completely useless

On November 21, NBA reporter Shams reported that Mavericks guard Exum underwent knee surgery and was confirmed to be out for the season. During this offseason, the Mavericks signed Exum back for $3.3 million in one year. He has not played a game this season. Currently, the Mavericks have 4 wins and 12 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Western Conference, only better than the Kings and Pelicans.

In order to make room to sign Exum, the Mavericks waived Prosper, the 24th pick of the first round in 2023, and then the Grizzlies gave Prosper a two-way contract. Prosper played 10 games with the Grizzlies this season, averaging 9.4 minutes per game, 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds, and three shooting percentages: 56.5%, 16.7%, 90.9%.

Prosper may not be as good as Exum, but he can at least play. In the 2024-25 season, Exum played only 20 games with the Mavericks due to injury, starting 13 of them. He averaged 18.6 minutes per game, 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 turnovers. His three shooting percentages were: 47.8%, 43.4%, and 74.2%.

Exum was born on July 13, 1995. He was the No. 5 pick in the first round of 2014. His entire career has been accompanied by injuries: in the summer of 2015, he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee; in October 2017, he had shoulder repair surgery; in January 2019, he sprained his ankle and bone contusion; in March 2019, he torn the patellar tendon; In August, his left hand was broken...

Recently, the Mavericks have been in panic: 1. General manager Harrison was fired; 2. Big Eyebrow, Clay, Russell and Gafford, etc., are all facing being traded; 3. Internal strife broke out in the Mavericks, Russell's lazy attitude in training angered many teammates, and the two sides had verbal conflicts; 4. Irving may not return this season.

In competitive sports, food is the original sin. Once the team's performance is poor, various problems will be infinitely magnified. Before the start of the season, many fans thought that the Mavericks, with 3 No. 1 picks and 1 No. 2 pick, could compete with the Rockets and Thunder. Now that the regular season has started for a month, the Mavericks and Clippers are the two most disappointing teams.

Last question: Do you think the Mavericks will choose to compete for the No. 1 pick?