Dallas’ 21-year-old center continues to have trouble staying healthy. Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images
Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is experiencing “swelling and discomfort” in his right foot and will miss the Mavericks’ next three games, at minimum, the team announced Tuesday.
Lively won’t travel on the Mavericks’ four-game road trip Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. He will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days.
Lively, 21, has only been able to play in seven of 19 games this season. He suffered a right knee sprain in the team’s third game of the season, and over the past week, he has missed two games with what the Mavericks have called “right foot injury management.”
Last season, Lively was sidelined for 36 consecutive games with what the Mavericks referred to as a stress fracture in his right ankle. In April, then-Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said he didn’t believe Lively would need offseason surgery. That ended up being inaccurate, as Lively underwent surgery over the summer to remove bone spurs in his right foot.
Now, that same foot could keep Lively off the court for an extended period of time again.
The Mavericks acquired Lively in a 2023 draft-night trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lively, the No. 12 selection in that draft, made an immediate impact as a rookie, starting 42 games and playing significant minutes in the Mavericks’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Lively, who is eligible for a contract extension this summer, has provided two-way impact as a rim-running, shot-blocking center. His career averages are 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. But injuries have limited him to 98 games played in his three-year career.
Last February, the Mavericks traded for Anthony Davis with the idea of playing him heavily at power forward alongside Lively in twin-tower lineups. So far, Davis and Lively have played just 79 minutes together. Davis, who has been out since Oct. 29 with a left calf strain, is expected to practice on Wednesday.
Nov 25, 2025
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