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Dante Exum signs with Euroleague powerhouse Barcelona for rest of the season

Dan Boyce

Dante Exum has signed a three-month deal with European basketball heavyweights Barcelona who have suffered a glut of injuries to their backcourt. Star guard Nick Calathes is expected to remain out until the new year with a left fibula fracture and backcourt partner Cory Higgins has also suffered a back injury.

It comes after the shooting guard was waived by the Houston Rockets as a late roster cut ahead of the season despite signing a three-year $8 million deal with the Texas franchise in September. The contract however was non-guaranteed and the Rockets had 15 other players with guaranteed deals.

“I’m excited, it’s a great opportunity to come over here, I’ve heard a lot about Spanish basketball and obviously how it is on the world stage makes me excited to get over here and get on the court and play” said Exum after signing with the team.

Exum, still only 26, played a key role in securing the Boomers’ maiden Olympic medal where he averaged nine points and 2.8 assists in six games. Exum is regarded as a genuine NBA talent only held back by a host of injuries.

He will become the fourth Australian after David Andersen, Nathan Jawai and his former Jazz teammate Joe Ingles, who Exum says he spoke to before deciding to play for the 19-time Spanish national league champions.

“Joe was the first person I reached out to just to see what he thought of Barcelona and he had nothing but good words and that’s part of the reason I decided this was a good opportunity for me” said Exum.

 

 

Joe Ingles has often made light of the bond he and Dante share, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Exum reached out to Ingles to get his take on life in Barcelona after he spent three seasons playing for the club, winning Spanish league championships in 2011 and 2012.

“I was playing for the [South] Dragons and he was 10, 11, 12 [years old] and he was coming to our games obviously. He tries to say that I wasn’t his favourite player, that he liked the American players that we had. [But] somehow a picture of him in number 7, which was my jersey, popped up somewhere and he’s never lived it down since so…” Ingles said in 2016

The 25-year old’s last appearance in the NBA was for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he played six games for last season before being traded to the Rockets in a four-team deal that sent former MVP James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. In 245 career NBA games, Exum holds averages of 5.7 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game.

Exum has already arrived in Barcelona and is set to begin training with the EuroLeague and ACB powerhouse where he will remain contracted with Barcelona until February 28.

With the Rockets carrying 15 players on the roster on opening night, Exum was cut and has not played in the NBA since, most recently spotted working out in Golden State, scrimmaging with Klay Thompson.

Signing for three months will not only give Exum some much-needed playing time but also allow him to sign with an NBA team before rosters are locked ahead of the NBA playoffs. In recent years we’ve seen former Sydney Kings duo Andrew Bogut (Golden State) and Didi Louzada (New Orleans) sign NBA deals with teams prior to the playoffs, Exum will be hoping to do the same.

Dan Boyce (798 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.


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