Dereck Lively was spotted out of his boot and without crutches at Cooper Flagg's ROTY press conference on Wednesday. After a season-ending foot surgery in December, training camp is looking like a realistic target.
Dereck Lively was seen out of his boot and without crutches at Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year press conference on Wednesday, the most encouraging sign yet that the 22-year-old center is on track for a training camp return.
The update is significant given that head coach Jason Kidd could not guarantee Lively's availability for camp during his exit interview earlier this month.
The timeline matters for Dallas. NBA training camps open in late September. If Lively continues at this pace and gets cleared for on-court work this summer, a full return to start the 2026-27 season becomes realistic. That would give the Mavericks the frontcourt piece they were missing for almost the entire season.
Lively played just seven games in 2025-26 before undergoing season-ending right foot surgery in December. It was the second consecutive year he needed a procedure on the same foot, following a stress fracture the previous season that was originally misdiagnosed as an ankle sprain.
He had bone spurs cleaned out in July 2025, attempting to get ahead of the problem. It did not hold. By November, the swelling and discomfort returned, the surgery followed, and his season was finished before it started.
When healthy, Lively is exactly the kind of center a team built around Cooper Flagg needs. He is a natural lob threat, an elite rim protector, and one of the better pick-and-roll bigs in the league at his age.
The partnership he was supposed to build with Kyrie Irving, who is also targeting a return next season after tearing his ACL last March, still has real potential if both players stay healthy.
The injury history is a legitimate concern. Lively has appeared in just 98 of 185 possible regular-season games through three seasons and is heading into a contract year on his rookie deal. Foot injuries carry extra risk for big men whose games depend on athleticism and explosiveness.
Wednesday was still a good sign. Out of the boot and present at a major franchise moment, Lively looked like a player moving forward. For a Mavericks team with a lot of questions heading into next season, that image matters.