Everyone expected Dereck Lively II to return as an important piece of the Mavericks’ new era around Cooper Flagg. Instead, the young center now has his availability hanging in the balance while the team heads into training camp. With the regular season approaching, the Mavs have now received another concerning update on the former first-round pick’s recovery from his right-foot surgery.

ESPN insider Tim MacMahon provided the latest information on Lively’s status.

“Mavs C Dereck Lively II (foot) has not been cleared for camp as he continues to recover from his December surgery,” MacMahon wrote on his X handle. “His status for the start of the season has yet to be determined. He has not suffered any setback and is slowly ramping up to begin basketball activity.”

The update does not indicate that Lively has suffered another injury. 

Instead, the Mavs are still waiting for the 22-year-old big man to progress far enough in his recovery to resume basketball activity and receive clearance for camp. That leaves his status for the season opener unresolved as the team prepares for a new campaign.

The concern comes from the amount of time Lively has already lost. He appeared in only seven games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery in December to address his right-foot problem (Missing 75 games).

Therefore, the 2025-26 season didn’t give him the arc that fans and critics expected him to have. His injury history stretches beyond last season. 

Lively just played 36 games in the 2024-25 season. It means he has appeared in only 43 games across the last two seasons. That is a significant interruption for a player whose rookie season had established him as a major part of Dallas’ future.

As a rookie, Lively played 55 games and helped the Mavs reach the 2024 NBA Finals. Following Daniel Gafford’s footsteps, he averaged 8.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 1.4 bpg while earning All-Rookie Second Team honors. It gave the Texas team a promising future star.

Now, another delayed start threatens to push that development further back.

The timing also matters financially. The Mavs exercised Lively’s fourth-year team option for 2026-27 last October, keeping him under contract while preserving the possibility of negotiating a rookie extension. With his availability still uncertain, the front office has a lot to weigh.

A long-term contract to a player whose development has repeatedly been interrupted? Not so much!

The Mavs have insurance in the frontcourt. 

Daniel Gafford remains on the roster and can handle starting-center duties with Santi Aldama as backup. The team also selected Morez Johnson Jr., ninth overall in the 2026 Draft. He joined the roster as another athletic frontcourt option to the rotation. 

That depth gives the Mavericks a way to survive Lively’s absence in the short term. It doesn’t solve the larger question surrounding the young center.

Moreover, the Mavericks are building around Cooper Flagg and, at the same time, preparing for Kyrie Irving’s return from the ACL injury that ended his 2024-25 season.

Lively’s defensive mobility and rim protection were supposed to complement that core, particularly as Dallas develops a younger roster around its new centerpiece.

So, his absence from training camp matters beyond the number of games he might miss.

Lively needs practice time with Flagg and the new-look group just as much as the team needs to understand how its young frontcourt will function in tandem.

Gafford can absorb minutes, and Johnson can provide another option. But neither changes the fact that Lively remains an important part of the Mavericks’ long-term plans.

For Dallas, that distinction matters. The Mavs can manage the beginning of the season without Lively. But another prolonged absence would make his durability an important concern on the impending contract decision.