The Dallas Mavericks are attempting to play a quality brand of basketball while also navigating the vocal backlash from a frustrated fanbase. It is not uncommon to hear “Fire Nico” chants at the American Airlines Center — something that is in reference to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison's decision to trade Luka Doncic last season. However, there is another emerging problem for this Mavs squad.
Overall injuries have been an issue for the team over the past couple of seasons. Anthony Davis — who was acquired as part of the Doncic deal a season ago — is especially injury prone. If the Mavericks decide to rebuild, some have wondered if Davis would be traded — although, it's extremely unlikely to happen this season.
AD is currently dealing with an injury. It's unfortunate, but it's also not surprising given his injury history. The Mavs knew what they were getting when they traded for him. Davis' injuries are not the new problem being addressed today, rather, we will look at Dereck Lively II's inability to stay on the floor.
Mavericks have a Dereck Lively II injury problem
The future of the Dallas Mavericks is centered around Cooper Flagg. Dereck Lively II is also often mentioned as a core player who can help Dallas for years to come. Lively, a 21-year-old 7-foot-1 center, has dealt with no shortage of injury trouble early in his career, however.
He is currently in his third NBA season. The most games he's played in a single campaign is 55 — something he accomplished during his rookie year. In 2024-25, Lively was limited to 36 total games played. So far in the 2025-26 season, the Mavericks big man has appeared in only three contests.
Lively's current knee sprain leaves him without a specific timeline to return — although Jason Kidd recently said he's hopeful the center can return this week. Nevertheless, Lively's injury concerns are something the Mavericks cannot ignore as they think about the future. In a perfect world, Lively would get completely healthy soon and avoid injury trouble moving forward — but one has to wonder how realistic that is given his early career injury history.
From a talent standpoint, Lively offers intriguing potential. His size and rim-protection causes opposing scorers to think twice about attacking the basket. Lively is a tremendous finisher on lobs and is continuing to work on expanding his offensive game.
Dallas is not going to give up on him anytime soon. If Dereck Lively II continues to struggle to stay on the floor over the next year or two, though, the Mavericks may need to have a difficult conversation.
