Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has not yet been cleared to participate in training camp as he continues to recover from foot surgery, according to Tim MacMahon.
Lively underwent surgery in December and has been working through his rehabilitation since then. While he has not experienced a setback, Dallas has yet to determine whether he will be available when the regular season begins.
The 22-year-old center has played only seven games since the start of the 2025-26 season. He averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game during that limited action, shooting 61.1% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line.
Lively has been an important part of the Mavericks since they selected him with the No. 12 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 55 games and started 42, averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks in 23.5 minutes.
He followed that with another productive campaign in 2024-25, averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks in 36 games. Across his first three NBA seasons, Lively has averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 72.5% from the field.
His availability is particularly relevant for a Dallas team that has undergone significant changes during the offseason. The Mavericks finished 26-56 last season and subsequently revamped their basketball operations, hiring Masai Ujiri as team president, Mike Schmitz as general manager and Dusty May as head coach.
The organization has made Cooper Flagg the centerpiece of its rebuild. Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a rookie and won Rookie of the Year, while Dallas also added Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser during the offseason.
Lively is viewed as another key part of the team’s young core alongside Flagg and Kyrie Irving. Dallas also has Moussa Cisse available at center, while P.J. Washington and other frontcourt players can provide additional options depending on May’s preferred lineups.
The Mavericks are also approaching an important decision regarding Lively’s future. He is eligible for a rookie-scale extension, with the deadline set for October 19.
