Player Bio
| HT/WT: 7-1, 230 lbs |
| Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA |
| Age: 22 |
| School: Duke |
| Experience: 3 |
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1:46Morez Johnson Jr. Follows HC Dusty May to Dallas
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1:53NBA Draft Big Men: True Fives
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1:49Dallas Mavericks Plan in the Draft
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0:36Should the Mavericks Explore a Kyrie Irving Trade?
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1:57Best Prospect to Pair with Mavericks' Cooper Flagg
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8:11Why a Sweet 16 might not save Mark Pope's Kentucky job | EOCBB
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81:132026-27 SEC Season Preview, Predictions: Florida headlines what should be CBB's best league | EOCBB
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33:22John Calipari says he wants to do 15 years at Arkansas | EOCBB
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13:30Mark Pope will try something completely new with Kentucky's offense | EOCBB
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18:13Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu guarantee a Florida national title | EOCBB
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4:48Is Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje already Duke's best player? | EOCBB
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1:59Rockets Take Down Mavericks in NBA Preseason
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8:13Breaking News: Klay Thompson To Sign With Miami Heat
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1:40John Gonzalez' Top 5 Starting Fives in the NBA: No. 1 New York Knicks
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0:58Michigan's Repeat Bid Without Dusty May
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1:16Dusty May Leaves Michigan to Become Mavs HC
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4:49Thunder Trade Lu Dort to Hawks in 3-Team Deal
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0:35Breaking: Thunder Trade Lu Dort to Hawks in 3-Team Deal
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1:09Expectations for Cameron Boozer with the Grizzlies
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1:39Summer League Preview: Lendeborg vs Johnson Jr.
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Top Dereck Lively II News
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Won't play Friday
Lively (foot) has been ruled out for Friday's exhibition against the Hawks.
Lively, who is recovering from foot surgery he underwent back in December, will wind up missing all four of Dallas' preseason games. Given that there hasn't been any reporting of Lively ramping up his workload, it seems there's a real chance he won't be ready for the start of the 2026-27 season.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Remaining sidelined Wednesday
Lively (foot) has been ruled out for Wednesday's preseason game against New Orleans, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
Lively underwent right foot surgery in December and has progressed to some shooting and on-court work, but the big man isn't quite ready to return to game action. His next chance to suit up will come Friday against Atlanta, though there's been no indication of an imminent return, and Lively could ultimately miss time to begin the regular season.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Remains out indefinitely
Lively (foot) won't play in Sunday's preseason game against the Rockets, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games in 2025-26, and it's unclear when he'll be ready to play again. Mavericks president Masai Ujiri said Lively has progressed to shooting and is working toward running on the court, while head coach Dusty May said the center is moving well but has a unique return-to-play protocol given all of his missed time in recent years.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Remains out indefinitely
Lively (foot) won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Rockets.
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri said that Lively has progressed to shooting and is working toward running on the court, though Dallas intends to remain patient with the 22-year-old. Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games in 2025-26, averaging 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game. He has yet to be cleared for training camp, and his status for the regular season remains uncertain.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Dallas will be patient with him
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri said Friday that Lively (foot) is "making good progress" in his recovery, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Ujiri noted that Lively has progressed to shooting and is working toward running on the court, though Dallas intends to remain patient with the 22-year-old. Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games in 2025-26, averaging 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game. He has yet to be cleared for training camp, and his status for the beginning of the regular season remains uncertain.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Not yet cleared for training camp
Lively (foot) has not been cleared to participate in training camp yet and is slowly ramping up to begin basketball activity, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports.
Lively underwent right foot surgery in December after appearing in just seven regular-season games (four starts), during which he averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.6 steals across 16.4 minutes per contest. MacMahon notes that Lively has not suffered a setback. However, the big man is still in jeopardy of missing time to begin the 2026-27 regular season, and it wouldn't be surprising if he operates under a heavy minutes restriction upon his return. If the 22-year-old misses an extended period, Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama (knee) and Morez Johnson would be candidates for increased burn.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Not ready to resume running
Lively (foot) still hasn't progressed to running yet, per Christian Clark of The Athletic.
Lively is walking and lifting weights, though he's not quite ready to enter the next phase of his rehab. The 22-year-old big man is recovering from right foot surgery, which cut his season short in December of last year, and it remains uncertain if he'll be a full participant in training camp this fall. The Mavericks did take Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to improve their frontcourt, but Lively remains the most likely candidate to open next season as Dallas' starting center.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Position on depth chart in jeopardy
Lively (foot) faces increased competition for minutes heading into the 2026-27 campaign, especially with the Mavericks selecting Morez Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Lively hasn't lived up to expectations through his first three seasons in the NBA. Although the 22-year-old is a talented player, the real concern is his durability. After appearing in 55 games as a rookie, Lively played in 36 contests in his second year. However, things were worse in the 2025-26 campaign, with the 2023 No. 12 overall pick suiting up for only seven games before eventually undergoing season-ending foot surgery. Dallas has plenty of big bodies entering the season, though it's unknown how head coach Dusty May will divide the workload. One thing is clear; time is running out for Lively to prove he can stay healthy. In fact, it may already be too late. With that in mind, Johnson isn't a true center, but even if the former Wolverine plays the position in a limited capacity for the Mavericks in 2026-27, he might surpass Lively on the depth chart sooner rather than later.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Undergoes surgery on right foot
Lively successfully underwent surgery on his right foot Sunday.
Lively sought out multiple opinions on his right foot, but it was ultimately determined that season-ending surgery was the best course of action for the third-year center, and he's expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell will continue to serve as the main big men for Dallas behind Anthony Davis in Lively's absence.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Set for season-ending surgery
Lively is slated to undergo season-ending surgery in the coming days to address lingering discomfort in his right foot, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Lively sought multiple opinions on his foot since suffering a setback in his last appearance Nov. 21, but doctors determined that surgery was the best course of action. The 21-year-old is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season. He made just seven appearances during his third NBA season, posting averages of 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per contest. Daniel Gafford is likely to have a higher minutes floor for the rest of the season with Lively out of the mix, and Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell could continue to see more opportunities in backup roles.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Considered out indefinitely
The Mavericks announced Thursday that Lively (foot) has no timetable for a return, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Lively is getting multiple opinions regarding the swelling and discomfort in his right foot. It sounds like the third-year center can be labeled as week-to-week until the next steps in his recovery are determined. Dallas should continue to lean on Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford (ankle) for the center minutes.
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Mavericks' Dereck Lively: Still out
Lively (foot) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Heat.
Lively will miss his sixth consecutive contest due to a right foot injury, and he can be considered doubtful ahead of Friday's game against the Thunder. With the third-year center remaining on the shelf, Daniel Gafford (ankle) should continue to see increased run if he's cleared to play.
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