Nov 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) looks on during an NBA Cup game between the Mavericks and the Clippers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks Facing Costly Decision on Injury-Prone Center

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Mar 29, 2026 11:45 AM ET

It looked like the Dallas Mavericks pulled off a genius move in the 2023 NBA Draft when they tanked to keep their top-10 protected pick, then traded back while offloading the bloated salary of Davis Bertans to take Dereck Lively II, a talented center out of Duke. That move paid immediate dividends, as they went to the NBA Finals in his rookie season, with him being an integral part.

However, his second and third seasons in the NBA have been marred by injuries. Lively played just 36 games in his second season, dealing with a stress fracture in his foot that was initially misdiagnosed as a sprained ankle, while also having the occasional hip or knee issue. This year, he played only 7 games before needing season-ending foot surgery, which likely stemmed from that stress fracture last season.

When healthy, Lively has all of the tools needed to be one of the best centers in the NBA: he's athletic, a great shot-blocker, a good passer out of the short-roll, and brings great energy every night. That alone makes him worthy of an extension. The injury history makes it much more complicated. The deadline to extend players selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft comes before the 2026-27 season starts. That makes the decision to extend Lively a fascinating one for the Mavs.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus went through each deal for rookies playing out their deals and predicted that Lively would not sign an extension before the deadline.

Dereck Lively II Destined For a Qualifying Offer

Unless Dereck Lively II plays 60+ games next year, teams aren't going to line up to sign him to a long-term extension in the 2027 offseason, especially with how careful teams have to be with their finances due to the tax aprons. The Mavs would like him to be an integral part of their future, but it's hard to do so given his injury history.

A qualifying offer seems to be the likeliest option in the 2027 offseason. It would essentially be a prove-it deal, but that may be best for both sides. Any future extension after that would need to have guarantees attached to injury and player availability.

Another option could be doing a deal like Jonathan Kuminga signed with the Golden State Warriors last offseason, which was a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option on the second year. If the Mavs meet a deal with Lively, it wouldn't be surprising to see it look like Kuminga's.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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