Dereck Lively II becomes extension-eligible July 1, forcing Dallas to weigh his long-term upside against a concerning injury history.
Dereck Lively II is one of five Dallas Mavericks players who become extension eligible when the 2026 offseason officially opens July 1, and his situation may be the most complicated of the group. Dallas has to decide how much it believes in a player who has appeared in just 91 games through three NBA seasons. The financial structure is straightforward. The health question is not.
Lively is currently earning $7,239,131 in the fourth year of his rookie-scale contract. A rookie-scale extension this summer would lock him in beyond that final season. If no deal gets done, he becomes a restricted free agent in 2027, meaning Dallas would retain the right to match any outside offer.
The production when healthy has been genuinely impressive. Lively has averaged 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting above 70% from the field in both of his active seasons.
His rookie-year field goal percentage was the highest single-season mark by a Maverick in franchise history. He was also named to the NBA Rising Stars Game in consecutive seasons and became one of only five Mavericks to begin his career with back-to-back seasons of 50 or more blocks.
The injury history is the complicating factor. In 2024-25, Lively suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle that was originally diagnosed as an ankle sprain, causing him to miss more than two months and limiting him to 36 games.
The following offseason, he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in the same right foot. He returned for the start of the 2025-26 season but played only seven games before experiencing swelling and discomfort in the foot again.
Dallas announced in December that Lively would undergo a second season-ending procedure on the same foot. By the end of his third season, he had missed 148 of a possible 246 regular-season games.
That leaves the Mavericks with a real decision. Getting an extension done now, before Lively proves he can stay healthy for a full season, would give Dallas cost certainty and lock in a 7-foot-1 rim protector who fits cleanly alongside Cooper Flagg at a price that reflects current uncertainty instead of future market value.
Waiting preserves flexibility, but it also hands Lively leverage if he stays healthy in 2026-27 and enters restricted free agency with a full season of production on tape. He is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, which means Dallas should expect aggressive representation at the negotiating table regardless of his medical history.
Other teams would likely be willing to pursue a 22-year-old center with Lively’s profile if he reaches the offer-sheet stage.
This is one of the quieter but more consequential decisions of the Mavericks’ offseason. The draft will command most of the attention June 23. The Lively extension conversation begins six days later.
