Dereck Lively II will undergo a procedure to address ongoing discomfort in his right foot, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon, who report (via Twitter) that the Mavericks center will miss the rest of the season as a result of the surgery.
The Mavericks have officially confirmed the news, announcing (via Twitter) that Lively is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp next fall.
It’s a brutal blow for the Mavs and especially for Lively, whose right foot has been an issue since he sustained a fracture in the foot/ankle area last January. That injury sidelined him for over two months and required him to undergo surgery in July in the hopes of fixing the issue.
Although the 21-year-old was cleared to return for opening night, he continued to be plagued by health problems, missing a nine-game stretch in October and November due to a right knee sprain, then battling nagging discomfort in his right foot. Reporting late last month indicated that the Mavs were concerned Lively would require an extended absence, with word breaking last week that he was consulting with multiple doctors about potential next steps.
According to MacMahon (Twitter link), Lively sought second and third opinions on his foot injury in the hopes of avoiding another surgery, but it was ultimately determined that another procedure would be necessary.
Injuries have been a recurring problem for Lively since he entered the NBA as the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has made only 98 regular season appearances since then, including seven in 2025/26, and has played just 2,242 total regular season minutes — as a point of comparison, 51 NBA players exceeded that total in ’24/25 alone.
When healthy, Lively has been a positive contributor, performing well enough to be viewed as Dallas’ long-term starting center. The former Duke standout has averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.9 minutes per contest while shooting 72.5% from the floor. He also averaged 22.0 MPG off the bench during the Mavs’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, contributing 7.9 PPG and 7.4 RPG across 21 postseason outings.
With Lively ruled out for the season, the Mavs will lean on Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford in their frontcourt, though both players are considered possible trade candidates. Veteran big man Dwight Powell and two-way player Moussa Cisse are available off the bench to provide depth in the middle, with forward P.J. Washington a candidate to play some small-ball center if needed.
Lively, meanwhile, will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason, before he plays his next game. If he and the Mavericks don’t come to terms on a new deal prior to the start of the ’26/27 season, he would be on track for restricted free agency in 2027.
Dallas will likely apply for a disabled player exception in response to Lively’s injury, but it would be worth just $2,626,680 (half of Lively’s $5,253,360 salary) and wouldn’t give the team the ability to surpass its second-apron hard cap. The Mavs are currently operating roughly $1.29MM below that hard cap.
Does this mean AD is off the trade block?
It shouldn’t. I may mean Gafford is off the block. It may also mean Lively is on the trading block after he returns. He is as injury prone as AD.
It doesn’t affect anything. The Mavs already knew this was coming, they just took a week to get second opinions. They will trade either player if it makes sense to do so.
Sadly, Lively is untradable. He will have played only 55, 36, and 7 games in his first 3 seasons. And this season ended because the foot surgery he had 10 months ago failed. That’s ominous.
If Lively had chronic knee, ankle, or back, Dallas could reasonably count on Lively’s continued service. But foot injuries are the bane of NBA big men. The odds of recurrence are extremely high, and come without forewarning. LIvely’s NBA career is in jeopardy.
We giving on 21 yr olds now ……
Mavs do have issues cause of injuries. Just another hurdle for them.
aristotle doomposting Lively means he is a player he wants to the Warriors.
I blame nico
Karma is a B. that’s what they get for tanking and stealing new york pick
That was good lol. I hope he’s ok though.
Na half the team is hurt so you don’t know they potential rehire Nico
at this point I’m straight up sad for the Mavs
So now everyone thinking they’ll trade for Gafford are less likely to be able to, unless the Mavs go into tank mode.
Yes I agree. Would they move AD and Gafford and go into full tank and rebuild mode. I guess we will see.
Pretty much every Mavs fan knew this was coming.
I know AD didn’t come to Dallas to play center. With Gafford banged up that’s what he must do. This could affect him wanting to stay. Mavs have a #1 pick next year. So they could blow it up and play for next year. They can rebuild and get a lot for AD, Gafford, Kyrie. It’s worth watching what they will do lols.
You can play for next year without “blowing it up.”
D-Live, Gaff, and Ky are already injured, so you don’t need to trade them for the sake of trading them. The rest of their core guys are signed.
You can make trades at the fringes — like an Exum, Hardy, or Dlo — without detonating the team. You don’t even have to trade AD — his value will only rise as he plays more. It’s not like you’ll accidentally make the playoffs without Ky.
Patience is a virtue. At worst, you finish 9th again, lose a play-in game, and rely on lottery luck to get you a higher pick in the draft. But hey, fortune favors the bold. (It certainly doesn’t hurt karma to try your hardest and still fail.)