Cooper Flagg came out swinging. Dropped 31 with 4 rebounds, shot 1-of-2 the entire time, and still hit 37.5% from deep against Dylan Harper and the Spurs. Did Nico Harrison just summon a Luka Doncic 2.0? Maybe. But with that kind of promise comes pressure. To ride the offseason buzz, Dallas needs a dependable backup crew—at least until Kyrie Irving’s back in the mix. The Summer League was supposed to be the testing lab. Get the recipe right before October. But there’s a wrench in the works already—cue the stopgap: Dereck Lively II. And that puts a pretty big question mark on the Mavericks’ depth chart.

The only real knock on the former Duke standout? Availability. Dereck Lively II has played just 91 games over the past two seasons — and that’s the whole problem. A nagging foot injury kept him out for more than half of the 2024-25 campaign. He did manage a short return late in the year, but let’s be honest — it was a lost sophomore season. It gets better, though. We’ll finally get a cleaned and patched Dereck into a Mavs team with an outside shot at championship contention.

“Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has undergone surgery to clean up bone spurs in his right foot, sources tell ESPN. He is expected to be healthy for training camp,” said Shams Charania on X. Training camp in September — that’s when the Mavs roster’s about to get Lively again. Until then, the fanbase just has to clutch tight and ride out the quiet. Dereck Lively II’s rookie year was full of flashes: 8.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game on a super-efficient 74.7% shooting. He was the perfect lob partner for Luka and a defensive anchor in the paint. But availability? Yeah, not his strong suit.

Still, come September, Dallas hopes the big man shows up loud, proud, and fully healthy — because when Lively’s locked in, the Mavs aren’t just good… they’re scary. Losing Luka Doncic got them what the Lakers lost — Anthony Davis. But you know why he and DLII go hand in hand? Their timing and play styles click like PB&J. Both thrive off elite instincts, rim protection, and brutal interior presence. And don’t expect that warrior mindset from AD to fade soon either — Rich Paul’s already come out to double down on it.

Dereck Lively II and Anthony Davis might be back in time for the season together

Davis’ retina operation hit the world like COVID-19 – fully off guard, no time to digress. Sure, the surgery news wasn’t ideal — but if there’s a “good” time for Anthony Davis to go under the knife, it’s definitely the offseason. No games missed, no rhythm lost. And when SiriusXM’s Frank Isola pressed Rich Paul on AD’s status, the response was cool and confident. According to his agent, the big man’s doing just fine.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s fine. He’s obviously – this is off season, but you know, he’s a warrior, he’s trying to fight through things.” Are there any surprises? Probably not about his mindset, but there could be one. Come the regular season, Davis’ uni-brow might not be the only eye-catching feature of his look.

“[Has] he decided that he’d be wearing goggles when he plays?” asked the host. And according to Paul, that might be an option if need be. “I don’t know. Maybe if he decides to do that, I imagine you have to see how you feel,” said Paul on SiriusXM NBA Radio. So, when was the last time Mavs fans had a real reason to grin?

This might just be the year Nico Harrison’s big bets cash out. Cooper Flagg’s already turning heads, and with Dereck Lively II and Anthony Davis both back in the mix, that trio’s got serious title vibes. Dallas Mavericks, get your parade plans ready.