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The Dallas Mavericks are currently preparing for the 2025-26 NBA season and are hoping to stay healthy after their previous season was derailed by injuries (among other things). However, recently, the team got some tough news regarding big man Dereck Lively II, who missed a large chunk of last season.
“Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has undergone surgery to clean up bone spurs in his right foot, sources tell ESPN,” reported NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.
However, the good news is that Lively is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, per Charania. Training camp for NBA teams typically begins in September, giving Lively II about a two-month recovery window to meet that deadline.
The Mavericks are hoping that they are able to fully move their fanbase on from the agony of the Luka Doncic trade in 2025-26 and usher in a new era led by Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg out of Duke, who dominated in his two NBA Summer League appearances this week.
Unfortunately, the Mavericks' injury troubles don't end with Lively II as Irving is expected to miss a significant portion of the upcoming season after tearing his ACL last March.
However, once he, Davis, and Flagg are on the court together, the Mavericks could have the ingredients to be a true juggernaut in the Western Conference despite making one of the most infamous trades in sports history.
That trio, combined with consistent solid center minutes from Lively II and his frontcourt partner Daniel Gafford, gives the Mavericks a lineup with immense defensive versatility and also the ability to put pressure on the offensive glass.
In any case, the NBA schedule is slated to be released in August. The season will begin in late October, by which point Lively should be more than recovered from the procedure.
