Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II has only played in seven games during the 2025-26 NBA season due to injuries, and now Lively's potential return at any point this season is very much up in the air after the latest update the team provided on an unspecified right foot injury that continues to linger.
Lively continues to experience pain and swelling in his right foot, and he will now seek multiple opinions from medical personnel on the next steps in his treatment process, the Mavericks revealed on Thursday. At this time, there is no clear timetable for his recovery, and updates will be provided by the organization as appropriate.
This past offseason, Lively underwent a right foot procedure to clean out bone spurs.
After entering the new season recovered and ready to go, Lively suffered a right knee sprain at the end of October and missed nearly three weeks' worth of action. Upon returning to the floor on Nov. 14, Lively played in four games before being shut down by the team for swelling and discomfort in his right foot.
Upon further evaluation, there is no genuine concern that Lively's foot ailment could drag on longer than anticipated and limit the Mavs' big man in his third season.
Lively is one of several Mavericks players who have found themselves on the injury report throughout the early portion of the new season. Kyrie Irving continues to recover from his ACL tear behind the scenes, and All-Star big man Anthony Davis recently made his return to the floor after missing about a month with a left calf strain.
The Mavs, currently 8-15, have won three straight games for the first time this season. Dallas will look to keep their streak alive on Friday night when it visits the Oklahoma City Thunder.
