Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is expected to undergo season-ending foot surgery, the team announced Wednesday. Lively has dealt with injury concerns this season. The 21-year-old center features potential, but he's missed a significant amount of time due to injuries throughout his career so far.
The good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery and be available for training camp next season. Nevertheless, Dallas will miss Lively's presence without question.
Mavericks co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi released a statement following the Lively update.
“Dereck has handled every challenge of this season with professionalism and resilience,” Riccardi said. “While this is a setback, we’re confident in his long-term future and will support him fully through his recovery.”
With Lively expected to miss the remainder of the campaign, Anthony Davis may spend more time at the center position as opposed to power forward. Davis and Daniel Gafford have been mentioned as trade candidates, but one has to wonder if the Lively update will impact the Mavericks' trade plans.
Dallas currently holds a 9-16 record, sitting 11th overall in the Western Conference. It has been a disappointing season for the Mavs, but they are just a half-game out of a play-in spot. Rumors of a rebuild have swirled for months now, but the Mavericks could possibly compete this season once Kyrie Irving returns from his injury recovery.
However, Dereck Lively II's injury absence obviously won't help their chances of making a postseason run. The Mavs will have to decide if they want to enter a rebuild fairly soon with the trade deadline scheduled for February.
As for Lively, we will continue to monitor and provide updates on his injury status as they are made available.
