
Exum set for Mavs return as No.1 pick signs rookie deal
Exum has reportedly shunned two other options in free agency and agreed to a one-year deal with the Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving will be sidelined by a knee injury until at least mid-season, meaning Exum could be called on to play significant minutes in the back-court alongside new addition D'Angelo Russell.
But the 29-year-old Melbourne product has to stay fit, after being sidelined by a wrist injury last season as his horror run of setbacks continued.
Exum made just 20 appearances for the Mavs throughout the 2024/25 campaign, averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 18.6 minutes per game.
Dallas will have to clear a roster spot to re-sign Exum, who was one of a record 15 Australians in the NBA last season.
Another four - Rocco Zikarsky (Minnesota), Tyrese Proctor (Cleveland), Alex Toohey (Golden State) and Lachlan Olbrich (Chicago) - were selected at last month's draft.
Flagg, meanwhile, has signed a deal worth about $US62.7 million, with a first-year salary of about $US13.8 million.
There are team options in the third and fourth seasons of rookie deals.
Flagg is set to feature in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this month, having joined the Mavs after they converted a 1.8 per cent chance to win the draft lottery.
The 18-year-old led the Duke Blue Devils to the NCAA Final Four in his only collegiate season.
He joins a Mavs front-court that should include 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and promising young centre Dereck Lively II, Flagg's fellow Duke alum.
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an hour ago
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Australian Open champ joins Wimbledon seeds cull
Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3.


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Cummins' brilliant catch gives Australia early impetus
Australia have made two early breakthroughs but then been held up by West Indies on the second morning of the second Test in Grenada. When opener Kraigg Brathwaite fell without scoring off the 11th ball of the day, caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood, it was just the tonic the tourists needed. And when Keacy Carty was dismissed by Pat Cummins, also caught and bowled, for six in the ninth over, it seemed the Aussie attack was about to inflict serious damage. It was a magnificent moment for the Australia captain, the ball hanging in the air for a seeming eternity before it began to fall to where a bat pad would have been. Cummins made ground in his follow through and timed his dive perfectly to complete the catch. It got even better when John Campbell, the other opener, was sent back to the pavilion, caught by Mitchell Starc off Beau Webster after a brisk 40 that included five boundaries. Left-hander Campbell tried to loft over the leg side but could only lob the ball high into the air and straight down the throat of Starc at mid-on. West Indies stood on a fragile-looking 3-64. But then the home side steadied, losing no more wickets before reaching lunch on 3-110 from 28 overs. Brandon King (39) and Roston Chase (16) steadied the West Indies with a 46-run fourth-wicket stand. It is a pivotal match for the Australians, who have set their sights on a victory that would give them an unassailable 2-0 series advantage. They spent the entire first day compiling a first-innings of 286 after Cummins won the toss and inserted his side. Webster and Alex Carey contributed half centuries but Australia were constrained by Alzarri Joseph's 4-61. Australia have made two early breakthroughs but then been held up by West Indies on the second morning of the second Test in Grenada. When opener Kraigg Brathwaite fell without scoring off the 11th ball of the day, caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood, it was just the tonic the tourists needed. And when Keacy Carty was dismissed by Pat Cummins, also caught and bowled, for six in the ninth over, it seemed the Aussie attack was about to inflict serious damage. It was a magnificent moment for the Australia captain, the ball hanging in the air for a seeming eternity before it began to fall to where a bat pad would have been. Cummins made ground in his follow through and timed his dive perfectly to complete the catch. It got even better when John Campbell, the other opener, was sent back to the pavilion, caught by Mitchell Starc off Beau Webster after a brisk 40 that included five boundaries. Left-hander Campbell tried to loft over the leg side but could only lob the ball high into the air and straight down the throat of Starc at mid-on. West Indies stood on a fragile-looking 3-64. But then the home side steadied, losing no more wickets before reaching lunch on 3-110 from 28 overs. Brandon King (39) and Roston Chase (16) steadied the West Indies with a 46-run fourth-wicket stand. It is a pivotal match for the Australians, who have set their sights on a victory that would give them an unassailable 2-0 series advantage. They spent the entire first day compiling a first-innings of 286 after Cummins won the toss and inserted his side. Webster and Alex Carey contributed half centuries but Australia were constrained by Alzarri Joseph's 4-61. Australia have made two early breakthroughs but then been held up by West Indies on the second morning of the second Test in Grenada. When opener Kraigg Brathwaite fell without scoring off the 11th ball of the day, caught and bowled by Josh Hazlewood, it was just the tonic the tourists needed. And when Keacy Carty was dismissed by Pat Cummins, also caught and bowled, for six in the ninth over, it seemed the Aussie attack was about to inflict serious damage. It was a magnificent moment for the Australia captain, the ball hanging in the air for a seeming eternity before it began to fall to where a bat pad would have been. Cummins made ground in his follow through and timed his dive perfectly to complete the catch. It got even better when John Campbell, the other opener, was sent back to the pavilion, caught by Mitchell Starc off Beau Webster after a brisk 40 that included five boundaries. Left-hander Campbell tried to loft over the leg side but could only lob the ball high into the air and straight down the throat of Starc at mid-on. West Indies stood on a fragile-looking 3-64. But then the home side steadied, losing no more wickets before reaching lunch on 3-110 from 28 overs. Brandon King (39) and Roston Chase (16) steadied the West Indies with a 46-run fourth-wicket stand. It is a pivotal match for the Australians, who have set their sights on a victory that would give them an unassailable 2-0 series advantage. They spent the entire first day compiling a first-innings of 286 after Cummins won the toss and inserted his side. Webster and Alex Carey contributed half centuries but Australia were constrained by Alzarri Joseph's 4-61.


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Norris homes in as Piastri takes fourth in practice
Lando Norris has set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix, outstripping Australian teammate Oscar Piastri to lay down a marker in pursuit of his first home victory. The McLaren pair are dominating the world championship race. Piastri has a 15-point advantage but the force may well be with Norris, who can bank on massive home support as he attempts to follow up his victory in Austria last weekend Norris even has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and he delighted those supporters by setting a searing pace to end the day 0.222 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Crucially for Norris, who admitted on Thursday that he would swap his other race wins for success at Silverstone, he was over four tenths clear of Piastri in fourth. Lewis Hamilton raised hopes of more Silverstone success by enjoying a positive day in his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone including victory in the rain last year. And wet weather is again forecast to affect the action across the weekend. The 40-year-old has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here but is yet to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours. The Scuderia delivered an improved performance in Austria, with Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in fourth. Hamilton, whose streak of 11 races without a podium finish is the longest of his career, showed signs of ending his podium drought at his home race as he topped the charts in first practice before finishing the day third after the second running. Max Verstappen endured another difficult day for Red Bull, complaining of handling issues and saying that his tyres would not respond in the high-speed corners. The four-time world champion, who is 61 points adrift of Piastri in the title standings following his first-lap elimination in Austria, ended the day fifth fastest. Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were sixth and eighth respectively. Briton Arvid Lindblad drove for Red Bull during first practice - becoming only the second driver under 18 to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, after Verstappen. The 17-year-old delivered a respectable lap time to finish 13 With DPA Lando Norris has set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix, outstripping Australian teammate Oscar Piastri to lay down a marker in pursuit of his first home victory. The McLaren pair are dominating the world championship race. Piastri has a 15-point advantage but the force may well be with Norris, who can bank on massive home support as he attempts to follow up his victory in Austria last weekend Norris even has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and he delighted those supporters by setting a searing pace to end the day 0.222 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Crucially for Norris, who admitted on Thursday that he would swap his other race wins for success at Silverstone, he was over four tenths clear of Piastri in fourth. Lewis Hamilton raised hopes of more Silverstone success by enjoying a positive day in his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone including victory in the rain last year. And wet weather is again forecast to affect the action across the weekend. The 40-year-old has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here but is yet to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours. The Scuderia delivered an improved performance in Austria, with Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in fourth. Hamilton, whose streak of 11 races without a podium finish is the longest of his career, showed signs of ending his podium drought at his home race as he topped the charts in first practice before finishing the day third after the second running. Max Verstappen endured another difficult day for Red Bull, complaining of handling issues and saying that his tyres would not respond in the high-speed corners. The four-time world champion, who is 61 points adrift of Piastri in the title standings following his first-lap elimination in Austria, ended the day fifth fastest. Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were sixth and eighth respectively. Briton Arvid Lindblad drove for Red Bull during first practice - becoming only the second driver under 18 to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, after Verstappen. The 17-year-old delivered a respectable lap time to finish 13 With DPA Lando Norris has set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix, outstripping Australian teammate Oscar Piastri to lay down a marker in pursuit of his first home victory. The McLaren pair are dominating the world championship race. Piastri has a 15-point advantage but the force may well be with Norris, who can bank on massive home support as he attempts to follow up his victory in Austria last weekend Norris even has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and he delighted those supporters by setting a searing pace to end the day 0.222 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Crucially for Norris, who admitted on Thursday that he would swap his other race wins for success at Silverstone, he was over four tenths clear of Piastri in fourth. Lewis Hamilton raised hopes of more Silverstone success by enjoying a positive day in his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone including victory in the rain last year. And wet weather is again forecast to affect the action across the weekend. The 40-year-old has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here but is yet to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours. The Scuderia delivered an improved performance in Austria, with Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in fourth. Hamilton, whose streak of 11 races without a podium finish is the longest of his career, showed signs of ending his podium drought at his home race as he topped the charts in first practice before finishing the day third after the second running. Max Verstappen endured another difficult day for Red Bull, complaining of handling issues and saying that his tyres would not respond in the high-speed corners. The four-time world champion, who is 61 points adrift of Piastri in the title standings following his first-lap elimination in Austria, ended the day fifth fastest. Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were sixth and eighth respectively. Briton Arvid Lindblad drove for Red Bull during first practice - becoming only the second driver under 18 to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, after Verstappen. The 17-year-old delivered a respectable lap time to finish 13 With DPA Lando Norris has set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix, outstripping Australian teammate Oscar Piastri to lay down a marker in pursuit of his first home victory. The McLaren pair are dominating the world championship race. Piastri has a 15-point advantage but the force may well be with Norris, who can bank on massive home support as he attempts to follow up his victory in Austria last weekend Norris even has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and he delighted those supporters by setting a searing pace to end the day 0.222 seconds clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Crucially for Norris, who admitted on Thursday that he would swap his other race wins for success at Silverstone, he was over four tenths clear of Piastri in fourth. Lewis Hamilton raised hopes of more Silverstone success by enjoying a positive day in his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone including victory in the rain last year. And wet weather is again forecast to affect the action across the weekend. The 40-year-old has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here but is yet to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours. The Scuderia delivered an improved performance in Austria, with Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in fourth. Hamilton, whose streak of 11 races without a podium finish is the longest of his career, showed signs of ending his podium drought at his home race as he topped the charts in first practice before finishing the day third after the second running. Max Verstappen endured another difficult day for Red Bull, complaining of handling issues and saying that his tyres would not respond in the high-speed corners. The four-time world champion, who is 61 points adrift of Piastri in the title standings following his first-lap elimination in Austria, ended the day fifth fastest. Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were sixth and eighth respectively. Briton Arvid Lindblad drove for Red Bull during first practice - becoming only the second driver under 18 to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, after Verstappen. The 17-year-old delivered a respectable lap time to finish 13 With DPA