Lively's season concludes with surgery abroad. The Mavs' challenging year continues, sidelining their promising center as they navigate injuries and a falling record.
The Dallas Mavericks confirmed Sunday that center Dereck Lively II’s season has come to an end, closing one chapter of a difficult year as the team tries to steady itself amid mounting injuries and a slipping record.
Lively underwent successful surgery on his right foot, the Mavericks announced, with the procedure performed by Dr. James Calder at the Fortius Clinic in London. The organization said the decision followed weeks of evaluation and multiple medical opinions, culminating in a determination that surgery offered the best long-term outcome for the young center.
Lively appeared in just seven games this season while managing persistent swelling and discomfort in his foot. His final appearance came in a Nov. 21 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Earlier in the year, he also missed roughly three weeks after sustaining a right knee sprain on Oct. 26, further interrupting any chance at continuity.
Mavericks co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi addressed the decision and Lively’s approach throughout the process in a statement released by the team.
“Dereck has handled every challenge of this season with professionalism and resilience,” Riccardi said. “While this is a setback, we’re confident in his long-term future and will support him fully through his recovery.”
The foot issue had been a concern for weeks. On Dec. 4, the Mavericks disclosed that Lively was seeking multiple medical opinions as discomfort lingered despite attempts to manage the condition. Dallas and Lively ultimately agreed that season-ending surgery was the most prudent path, prioritizing long-term health over a potential return later this year.
Injury setbacks have followed Lively early in his career. Last season, he missed more than two months with a stress fracture in the same right foot, making durability a recurring storyline as Dallas evaluates its frontcourt future.
Before being sidelined, Lively averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in limited action this season.
The news arrived one night after the Mavericks absorbed a 121-114 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, dropping Dallas to 11-18 entering Monday’s matchup at New Orleans. Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid and Paul George but leaned on Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe to pull away late.
Maxey scored 38 points, including seven during a decisive fourth-quarter run, while Edgecombe added 26. Dominick Barlow chipped in 21 as the 76ers won for the sixth time in eight games.
Dallas received 24 points apiece from Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis, but could not sustain momentum after Flagg briefly tied the game at 104 with a short jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Philadelphia responded with an 11-0 run over the next two-plus minutes, capped by a Maxey 3-pointer that pushed the margin to 115-104.
Flagg, who turned 19 on Sunday, continued to show flashes that drew audible reactions from the Philadelphia crowd, mixing creative ball-handling with explosive finishes. He entered the night ranked second among rookies in both scoring and rebounding.
Edgecombe, selected two picks after Flagg in this year’s draft, set the tone early with 14 points in eight first-quarter minutes and complemented Maxey down the stretch as Philadelphia seized control.
Davis played through illness and finished with 14 rebounds, while Klay Thompson, listed as questionable with left knee soreness, scored 10 points in his return to the lineup.
With Lively now sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Mavericks face mounting pressure to stabilize a rotation that has been reshaped repeatedly by injuries. Dallas continues its road swing Monday night against the Pelicans, searching for traction as the calendar turns and the margin for error narrows.