Dereck Lively II hasn’t been cleared for training camp, still recovering from right foot surgery, and honestly, that’s a tough pill to swallow for Dallas fans. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported the news, and his status for the season’s start is still up in the air as he grinds through rehab. The Mavericks front office, under its new structure, is playing it super safe, which makes sense given the history, but it doesn’t make the wait any easier.
The Long Road Back for Lively II
This isn’t just a minor tweak; Lively has been dealing with this for a while. We’re talking about a player who wore a boot for what felt like forever and wasn’t even running back in June. His injury woes kicked off with an ankle stress fracture in January 2025, a problem that was actually misdiagnosed as just an ankle sprain. That mismanagement led to surgery in July 2025 to remove bone spurs in his foot. After all that, he only returned for seven games last season, battling foot soreness and swelling through all of them before getting shut down in December. It’s a brutal run for a player drafted as the 12th overall pick. He’s only played in 98 of 246 eligible games since 2023, which tells you everything about the journey he’s been on.
What This Means for Dallas’s Future
Lively was a key piece in Dallas’s run to the NBA Finals in 2024, making an early impact in his rookie season. He’s a 7’1” defensive-minded center, bringing size and versatility, plus he’s shown flashes of serious finishing ability and passing prowess. These are all reasons why he could carve out a significant role building a contender around their budding star, Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. He averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in his 98 career games, proving he can produce when healthy. The team has a new look with additions like Kyrie Irving and other offseason moves alongside Flagg, but Lively’s health is a huge question mark for their overall ceiling. Dallas starts training camp on Saturday, with preseason kicking off on Oct. 9 in Macao, China. This is a contract year for Lively, and the Mavericks have to figure out where he fits in their long-term plans. Everyone’s waiting to see if he can finally get healthy and stay on the court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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