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NBA insider Marc Stein reported on X that Dereck Lively II’s foot injury caused major friction within the Dallas Mavericks’ newly assembled medical and performance team in February. Stein shared the update alongside transcripts of general manager Nico Harrison, who stood by the staff’s approach and defended how they managed Lively’s recovery.
According to Stein, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pressed the Mavericks on how Dereck Lively II completed a full return-to-play workout in Charlotte, received clearance to play two days later, and then underwent a CT scan that uncovered a stress fracture in his right ankle.
Sources tell @TheSteinLine that Lively's foot injury was at the center of some significant tensions among new members of Dallas’ medical and performance team at the team’s practice facility in February.
Harrison this week strenuously defended the medical staff he assembled: https://t.co/bLCbokponi pic.twitter.com/FkrvHjju29
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 19, 2025
Nico Harrison pushed back, defending the organization’s approach and crediting the medical team for acting quickly. He said the situation underscored their attentiveness rather than exposed any lapse in care.
“It shows the strength of our medical team,” Harrison said. “Our medical team knew it was something more, and so that's why they went and tested him again and saw the CT scan, which they actually avoided a potential catastrophic injury.
“So you know, you will take the angle of being negative, but it's actually a positive thing because they saw with the symptoms, even though he was cleared to play, they didn't feel right putting him on the floor,” he continued.
Dereck lively II after Luka Doncic's departure
Lively missed 36 games after suffering an injury in January. Although he returned with eight games left in the regular season, the 7-foot-1 center saw limited minutes, and his impact on the court fell short of his pre-injury performance.
“And so they went back. They stopped him from playing. They went back; They retested, and thank God we saw that he had a stress fracture.”
Lively remained on a minutes restriction during the Mavericks' two play-in tournament games last week. In the first matchup against the Sacramento Kings, he logged just less than 18 minutes, recording five points, one rebound, four assists, two steals, and a block.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the 21-year-old played 20 minutes but failed to score, going 0-for-2 from the field. The Mavericks fell 106-120 on the road, officially ending their postseason hopes just one year after reaching the NBA Finals. Lively finished the game with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Luka Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks while Dereck Lively remained sidelined with a foot injury. Since returning to the lineup, the second-year center has averaged 4.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 17.1 minutes per game—a noticeable dip from his production before the trade and his injury.
