Mavericks granted exceptions for Dereck Lively and Dante Exum, but how much do they help?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Mavericks received more good news following Tuesday’s thrilling 100-98 win over the Kings at Golden 1 Center.

The NBA granted Dallas’ request for disabled player exceptions to compensate for season-ending injuries to Dereck Lively II and Dante Exum, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Dallas Morning News. NBA insider Jake Fischer was first to report the news.

The exceptions allow the Mavericks to replace players who are out for the season, but it’s not much help for a team hovering just below the second apron of the NBA salary cap, without much space to sign anyone.

Disabled player exceptions are worth 50% of a player’s annual salary, which would be around $2.6 million for Lively and $1.1 million for Exum.

Mavericks

In an ideal scenario, Dallas would be able to acquire two players in the final season of their contracts through a one-year free agent deal or a trade.

But the reality is the Mavericks are $1.3 million below the second apron of $207,824,000, which restricts them from signing or acquiring via trade a player who makes more than that amount.

The Mavericks are also at the maximum of 15 standard contracts and would need to release a player or make a trade to create a roster spot.

They can use the exceptions for trades and signings until March 10, which could come in handy depending on the moves the team makes before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

The exceptions aren’t significant since Exum is on a minimum contract and Lively remains on his rookie deal, but they could be the difference in a scenario in which the Mavericks need to match salaries for a trade. Anthony Davis remains their most valuable trade asset and the team will need as much financial flexibility as possible if it chooses to move his $54 million salary owed for this season.

The last time the Mavericks were granted a disabled player exception was during the 2018-19 season, when former point guard J.J. Barea ruptured his Achilles tendon. Dallas received an exception worth $1.85 million.

Shortly after the Mavericks received that exception, they facilitated a trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke from the New York Knicks. They also traded Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings, signed Salah Mejri as a free agent and waived Raymond Spalding and Zach Randolph in separate transactions.

Exum appears to be the most likely to be waived if the Mavericks were to release a player, especially since the franchise could choose to convert Ryan Nembhard’s two-way contract to a standard deal. The undrafted rookie has started 16 games for the Mavericks this season.

The Mavericks announced Dec. 12 that Exum underwent successful surgery on his right knee to address complications from a right knee procedure during the offseason. The issue prevented him from practicing in training camp before it was determined surgery would be required.

Exum’s procedure was performed by Dr. Andy Williams at the Fortius Clinic in London, where Lively also underwent successful surgery on his right foot by Dr. James Calder on Dec. 21. Lively is expected to be available for the start of the 2026-27 season after playing only seven games in his third NBA season.

Teams are required to apply for disabled player exceptions by Jan. 15 each season. If a player is ruled out for the season after that deadline, such as Portland’s Damian Lillard or Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, the team would need to reapply for a disabled player exception during the subsequent season, and a determination would have to be made that the player is more likely to miss that season as well.

It’s possible the Mavericks wouldn’t have been granted a disabled player exception for Kyrie Irving, who suffered a torn ACL in March 2025. They did not apply for one last season since they anticipated their star guard would be able to return this season, although he remains without a definitive timetable just 10 months removed from his injury.

Mavericks officials will decide whether to use their new disabled player exceptions for a trade between now and the February deadline, which is entirely possible as the chatter around Davis heats up.

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