Lively's Foot Surgery Clouds Mavericks' Opening Act as Camp Looms

Dereck Lively II has not been cleared for training camp and his status for the start of the regular season remains undetermined as he continues recovering from right foot surgery, according to sources. Dallas begins training camp Saturday. The timing is tight: Lively underwent his second foot procedure in December, which ended his 2025-26 season after just seven appearances. In the 21 months since his rookie campaign—when he played a pivotal role in the Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals—Lively has appeared in only 43 games across two seasons, his availability repeatedly derailed by the same right foot that required two surgical repairs.

At 22 years old and a No. 12 pick in the 2023 draft, Lively represents exactly the kind of long-term cornerstone the Mavericks hope to build around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. His baseline value is obvious: a 7-foot-1, 230-pound athlete who finishes efficiently around the rim and moves laterally on defense. Over his limited 22.9 minutes per game, he's averaged 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. In an ideal scenario, those per-minute rates project to meaningful frontcourt production if durability returns.

But durability is precisely what Dallas cannot assume. Two surgeries in 14 months on the same foot is not a one-time setback—it's a pattern suggesting structural vulnerability or ineffective initial repair. The Mavericks' public messaging emphasizes they are "not discouraged" by his progress and that he is ramping up toward basketball activity clearance. That language tracks with teams buying time before a difficult decision: whether to activate him on a restricted timeline for game action or redshirt him entirely into the spring to maximize healing window.

From a roster-construction angle, Lively's absence reshuffles the Mavericks' frontcourt depth and forces Dallas to lean harder on either small-ball looks or secondary centers already on the roster. That workload shift ripples through assist and pace metrics, particularly if Flagg's offensive creation increases to compensate. More immediately for prop bettors, Lively's Game 1 availability status will not be known at opening lines, meaning any pre-season clearing or setback will trigger sharp line movement. The edge exists in fading any prop tied to Lively's minute rate or counting stats for the opener and first few games until his status stabilizes. The recurring injury footprint—same location, same surgical outcome—makes him a fade candidate on durability metrics for the entire season, as the risk of mid-season recurrence is elevated relative to a clean recovery profile.