The Los Angeles Lakers are “interested” in acquiring former No. 5 overall pick Dante Exum, according to Clutch Points’ Anthony Irwin.
Speaking on his “Lakers Lounge Podcast,” Irwin noted that the Lakers were keen to sign the Aussie to a veteran minimum contract, given his past ties with both Luka Doncic and general manager Rob Pelinka. Exum spent two seasons as Doncic’s teammate in a Dallas Mavericks uniform, and was previously represented by Pelinka.
“Rob Pelinka was previously [Dante Exum’s] agent,” Irwin said. “So you have that built-in relationship… He is a very solid perimeter defender. I like that he’s a little bigger, a little longer, which is something the Lakers [need]… He is somebody the Lakers are going to be interested in.”
To Irwin’s point, Exum, a 6-foot-5 guard, has blossomed into a reliable 3-and-D player in recent years. During Dallas’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, he shot 49% from deep (1.0 three per game) in the regular season and was solid defensively in the playoffs.
Dante Exum’s Injury History
Exum, an unrestricted free agent, is expected to be available for the veteran-minimum price tag due to his recent injury history. The 29-year-old guard appeared only in 20 games last season due to a fractured left hand, a year after foot injuries prevented him from playing more than 55 games.
The Australian guard spent more than two seasons outside the NBA — between 2020-21 and 2023-24 — in large part due to his injury history. He dealt with severe ankle and knee issues early in his career, which led to the Jazz eventually trading him after four-and-a-half seasons. Utah selected Exum with the No. 5 overall pick in 2014.
Exum has averaged just 6.3 points and 2.3 assists in his career, but his resurgence with the Mavericks proved that he warrants a spot on an NBA bench.
Other Lakers Options in Free Agency
The Lakers are expected to use their taxpayer midlevel exception (projected at $5.7M) to sign a backup center, via multiple insiders. However, they could also use the MLE on a veteran sharpshooter such as Gary Trent Jr. or Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Besides Exum, another backup guard linked to the Lakers is De’Anthony Melton, who will also become an unrestricted free agent after spending a year with the Warriors.
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Exum and Melton are two backup guards that the Lakers are expected to target.
“Guards off the top of my head, I did hear [LA Times writer] Dan Woike mention De’Anthony Melton, and I like that name. Dante Exum, a former Rob Pelinka client, I like that name, too,” Buha said on his podcast in late May.
“For Exum, I view him more as like a fifth guard. I would not want him as the primary addition. Melton, there’s some risk with him coming off the injury, but I think he’s an upside play that, especially for the vet minimum contract, could outperform it.”
As of this writing, the Lakers have only nine players under contract going into the 2025-26 season. That number will increase to seven if LeBron James ($52.6 million player option) and Dorian Finney-Smith ($15.3 million player option) exercise their options.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Eyeing Former No. 5 Overall Pick in Free Agency: Insider appeared first on Heavy Sports.