Mavericks waive and stretch Prosper to clear cap space for Exum

The Dallas Mavericks on Friday moved to clear roster and payroll space by waiving and stretching forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, a decision intended to open room under the league's second tax apron and pave the way to re-sign guard Dante Exum, league sources said. The move comes as the Mavericks manage a tight salary situation and a roster in flux following major offseason changes and injuries.

Dallas had explored trading Prosper but was unable to find a partner willing to absorb his roughly $3 million 2025-26 salary without receiving a second-round pick in return, according to media reports. With the deadline to waive-and-stretch contracts approaching, the team opted to stretch Prosper's remaining salary over three seasons, reducing his cap hit to about $1.0 million per year and freeing roughly $2 million immediately below the second apron. That space is necessary to sign Exum to a veteran minimum deal and to keep the Mavericks from breaching the hard cap triggered by earlier moves.

The hard-cap constraint stems from Dallas' prior use of the taxpayer midlevel exception to sign a veteran guard, a transaction that placed the club on the second-apron hard cap for the 2025-26...