In addition to the forward star, the Mavericks are still trying to send off the young backcourt player?

According to previous news, the Dallas Mavericks intend to sign backcourt veteran Dante Exum by sending forward star Olivier-Maxence Prosper to reduce the number of players on the roster and total salary. However, according to The Stein Line reporter Jake Fischer, Prospe is not the only player the Mavericks want to send away. The Mavericks also want to send away another young player, Jaden Hardy.

In the NBA regular season last season, Hardy played 57 games in 82 games, averaging 15.9 minutes per game, averaging 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.1 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers and 1.6 fouls. He shot 43.5%, three-point shooting percentage 38.6%, and free throw shooting percentage 69.8%. Hardy's performance last season was not ideal, and he seemed to have made some progress, but the problem is that his stability is really bad. No one knows whether he will become an angel or a devil in the next game. Moreover, his reading ability in ball quotations and game has not improved at all. His contribution to the defensive end is still seriously insufficient. He still plays by his own way, but such a play cannot do anything, and it will directly affect the overall situation of the game if he is not careful.

Hardie renewed a three-year contract with the Mavericks before the start of the NBA regular season last season, with a total amount of $18 million. Hardy's salary in the next three seasons will be $6 million, of which part of the 2027-28 season is a team option. Prospe is still on a rookie contract, his contract expires in the summer of 2027, with his salary of $3.01 million and $5.26 million in the next two seasons, and his contracts for the next two seasons are team options. With Hardy's performance, it seems like a bad deal to sign a contract with him with a contract that exceeds the base salary. Although his contract in the new season can be considered an expiring contract, his salary of $6 million is obviously a bit higher.

In comparison, Prospe's contract seems to be better and easier to deal with, not to mention that his physical talent and athletic ability are better, and his future development space will be greater. For the Mavericks, I don’t know what operations they will do next. It’s easier to send Prospe away, but it won’t have an immediate effect on the reduction of total salary. In contrast, it is more difficult to send Hardy away, but the actual effect is also better. Which of the players will they send away next? Or maybe both players will be sent away?