Dereck Lively II's Mavs Contract Extension Is Risky As Deadline Looms

The deadline for NBA teams to sign rookie extensions is Monday, Oct. 19, and for the Dallas Mavericks, center Dereck Lively II is the one newly eligible and worth monitoring carefully.

Lively was Dallas' No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. With less than a week until the deadline, only a handful of players from Lively's class have signed long-term contracts after their rookie deals. Historical trends, however, suggest that several signatures will be announced in the week leading up to the start of the season.

ESPN named Lively's situation in Dallas as a top eligibility case to watch. If it doesn't come as early as this preseason, Lively would also be eligible next summer, but he'd be a free agent, and Dallas would have less contractual control over his future.

Front office insider Bobby Marks' projected offer would include contingency terms that incentivize Lively's availability, which has been critical to his overall assessment in Dallas.

When he's on the floor, Lively has shown the ability to be a strong rim-running, two-way threat. His rookie season ended with the Mavs in the NBA Finals, and that success wasn't without Lively's place in the offense as a lob threat for Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

Since then, Lively's frequent health struggles have clouded his potential. The 7-footer has appeared in just 98 of the Mavs' possible 246 regular-season games since he was drafted.

His playing time has dipped each of his three seasons, with last year seeing him play in just seven games at the start of the year before missing the remainder of the season with foot surgery - an injury that is ongoing with an uncertain timetable.

"Despite playing only 36 games in 2024-25, Lively ranked 17th out of 138 players in offensive rebounding percentage and fourth in defensive rebounding percentage," Marks notes, underscoring Lively's impact.

"During that season, Lively held opponents to 56.3% of shooting at the rim, ranking 20th out of 165 players. In 21 postseason games as a rookie, Lively averaged 7.4 rebounds in 22 minutes per game."

Lively will turn 23 years old during this upcoming season. For that reason, he remains a vital part of the Mavericks' future plan as a long-term building piece next to teenage star Cooper Flagg. Lively's energy and locker room leadership are also significant for his age and important factors for continuity of a rebuilding organization.

The downside, of course, is Lively's recovery and durability moving forward. At training camp weeks ago, a video surfaced of Lively laboring through a slow high-stepping drill. It was an alarming watch considering his initial foot surgery was over half a year before, and you'd expect him to be at a more physical rehab point.

Throughout last season and early into the offseason, Lively alternated between crutches and a walking boot, though the Mavericks front office - which has undergone a complete remodel, including the health department - remained quiet about his true status.

"Dereck Lively has been working his tail off," general manager Mike Schmitz said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in August. "He's in the facility constantly, completely locked in to everything we're doing and doing everything in his power to be his best self."

"I'm taking my time," Lively said at a Mavericks youth camp this summer. "I'm taking even more time than I need to make sure I don't ever have to deal with this foot again. So whenever I can get past that and get over this hill, I know I'll be 100 percent free."

Lively averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks before Dallas shut him down last season. December's operation was the second surgery on his right foot in roughly six months, following a July 2025 procedure to clean out bone spurs. 

For a fan base that has watched him miss more games than he has played, comments like these can read as worrisome as they do sensible.

And they'll remain in the forefront of Mavs fans' minds about Lively as Dallas approaches the deadline on locking in his future with the team.