According to the Dallas Mavericks’ public relations office, third-year center Dereck Lively II is seeking out multiple opinions on next steps concerning his injured right foot.
Lively last played in a November 21st game against the Pelicans. This season he’s played in just seven games after missing time in 2024-25 due to a fracture in his right ankle. When that fracture occurred is unclear; Lively missed several games with an ankle injury, then was reportedly put through a tough work out by former strength coach Keith Belton. The next day a CT scan revealed a stress fracture and Lively missed the next three months, returning for the final games of the regular season. Lively missed 27 games in his rookie campaign, due to both injuries and personal reasons.
The Mavericks have been cagey with this current injury by not disclosing what it is and have instead disclosed his symptoms. The main symptoms they note are “swelling” along with “discomfort”. Swelling and discomfort have a root cause, and they either do not know, which seems unlikely, or they haven’t chosen to share what the cause is. I am not sure how they’re able to get away with not sharing this information.
Given the general tomfoolery that’s surrounded the Mavericks the last year going back to trade of Luka Doncic and everything else to do with former General Manager Nico Harrison, Dallas would do well to perhaps act with some transparency. Let’s start with: what is the injury? Then they can proceed to explaining the timeline of when this started bothering Lively. Injuries are a constant in the NBA, fans understand that. But a curt press release that prompts more questions than answers isn’t the way.