Mavericks $6,150,000 guard makes unexpected recovery to play Lakers after presumably suffering season-ending injury

Ahead of the Dallas Mavericks' marquee matchup against the LA Lakers on Wednesday, Dante Exum's status has been upgraded to questionable.

The $6.1 million guard, as per Spotrac, was previously presumed to be out for the season after he had suffered a broken bone in his left hand.

Dante Exum suffered the injury during the Mavericks' 133-96 road loss to the Houston Rockets on March 15. Three weeks since the injury, Exum's status upgrade to questionable was unexpected.

The 6-foot-5 guard has only played 18 games this season. He missed the Mavs' first few games after undergoing surgery to repair a wrist injury suffered during training camp.

However, when he has been on the court, Exum has made an impact for Dallas, averaging a career-best 9.1 points along with 2.8 assists and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 48.0% from the field, including 44.7% from beyond the arc.

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NBA fans react to Dante Exum's status upgrade before Mavs-Lakers showdown

Dante Exum's rapid status upgrade just three weeks after his fracture came as a shock to many.

NBA fans shared their reactions on X, formerly Twitter, with many expressing that a matchup against the LA Lakers requires such a step.

"Playing the Lakers is the best medicine. It's better than painkillers. Probably better than surgery if you ask me," one tweeted.

"At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if a player got resurrected from the dead to play against the Lakers," another tweeted.

"It's like when teams play the Lakers you can hear the call "Avengers, assemble!" Ahahaha," a fan tweeted.

"WHAT A REMARKABLE RECOVERY," a fan tweeted.

"NBA need to do an investigation 😂" one tweeted.

"They’re just trolling us now, this is crazy lol," another tweeted.

The upcoming matchup marks the much-anticipated return of Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks' home ground since he was traded to the Lakers in February.

While the two teams have faced each other once after the trade, it was at the Lakers' home court. That encounter saw the Lakers clinching a 107-99 home win on Feb. 25, with Doncic leading his new team to victory with a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and two blocks.