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Oct 19, 2026 10:08 PM
Dallas is holding off on a long-term commitment to its young center as he continues recovering from another right foot surgery, leaving his health and availability as the biggest factors in his future with the franchise.
The Dallas Mavericks have reached Monday's deadline for rookie extensions without a new contract in place for center Dereck Lively II.
Lively will play out the final year of his rookie contract at $7,239,131, the fourth and final season of the deal he signed after Dallas selected him 12th overall in 2023.
He has not been medically cleared. Lively missed all four preseason games, including both in Macao and Friday’s finale against Atlanta and he will not be available when the Mavericks open the season Wednesday in Houston. He was not ready for training camp, either.
The encouraging part is that there have been no setbacks since his December surgery on his right foot. Masai Ujiri said Oct. 9 that Lively had progressed to shooting and was working toward running on the court. Dusty May described the return-to-play protocol as largely standard, with some differences specific to Lively’s case.
What nobody has offered is a timeline. That makes committing five years and potentially enormous money an impossible ask for a front office that has been in place only a few months.
The injury history explains the caution better than anything else. Lively has appeared in 98 of a possible 246 regular-season games across three years. He missed extended time in 2024-25 with a stress fracture in his right foot, had surgery on that same foot in July 2025, then played just seven games last season before a third procedure ended his year in December.
That is a lot of medical history for a player who turns 23 this season.
The talent was never the question; Lively made the All-Rookie Second Team in 2023-24, averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 74.5% from the field across 55 games. He was also a genuine difference-maker during Dallas’ run to the NBA Finals. He protects the rim, catches lobs, passes well out of the short roll and plays with an energy that changes games.
When he is available, he is exactly the kind of center a team wants alongside Cooper Flagg for the next decade.
Dallas feels his absence immediately. Daniel Gafford is the only center who has been fully healthy throughout camp. Moussa Cisse tweaked an ankle in the preseason. Morez Johnson Jr. was limited early with lower leg soreness. Both are expected to be back for Wednesday's season opener in Houston. Santi Aldama has been working back from a March knee procedure and Dwight Powell was waived Monday morning after 12 seasons with the franchise.
That is a thin group to open a season with and it underlines how much the Mavericks need Lively back rather than suggesting they have soured on him.
Dallas also retains control regardless of Monday’s outcome. The Mavericks can extend a qualifying offer next summer and make Lively a restricted free agent, giving them the right to match any offer sheet he signs elsewhere. That preserves their position without locking in a number before anyone knows what he can handle physically.
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