Mavericks' latest nightmare injury sparks a looming dilemma

The Dallas Mavericks very quickly realized that they would have a Dereck Lively II problem early in his career. While the 21-year-old has been amazing when he is fully healthy and on the floor, the reality of Lively II's situation early in his career is that he can't stay healthy for long enough stretches. And this may force the Mavericks to stray away from extending him this offseason.

A lottery pick of Lively II's magnitude rarely goes without an extension before entering his fourth season, but the Mavericks approach a scary future with the former Duke Blue Devil as he will miss the remainder of the NBA season due to needing foot surgery.

With this in mind, Lively II has a very real shot of going into next season without an extension. This would not only make the 21-year-old a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, but it would also be a clear message from the Mavericks that they don't fully believe in Lively II's ability to stay healthy during meaningful stretches.

Why the Mavericks may not extend Dereck Lively II

Having surgery that ultimately ends your regular season is a huge commitment from Lively II to get healthy over the long term, rather than attempting to help the team as they continue to stack up wins recently with a 10-16 record. However, the Mavericks are entering a dangerous territory with their once untouchable center. Now, as the Mavericks near a possible franchise-altering trade with the future of Cooper Flagg in their sights, Lively II's future with the Mavericks couldn't be more in question.

Since the moment the Mavericks selected Lively II with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, all the hype surrounded the then-19-year-old to be one of Dallas' young bigs of the future. From the moment he first stepped on the floor, it was clear that Lively II was different, and after impressing throughout the Mavericks' run to the Finals that season, the buzz surrounding Lively II was at an all-time high.

While the Mavericks would go on to lose in the Finals, it was clear from that point on that Lively II would be a building block of the future in Dallas despite having health concerns during the regular season. Now two seasons removed from a Finals trip, Lively II's career has been troubled by injury after injury, even if it isn't his fault.

Looking toward the future, there's no doubt in any fan's eye that Lively II has the talent to be the Mavericks' center of the future alongside Flagg, but with injuries playing a huge part in his career, it now raises the question of whether the Mavericks will be willing to extend him this offseason. Most players entering the fourth year of their rookie contract would get extended with the level of skill that Lively II has, but due to the severe amount of injuries that have derailed his career, the Mavericks may not be willing to throw that money to an injury-riddled center with Flagg's future on the line.

The Mavericks will have plenty of decisions to make this offseason, especially if they pull the trigger on a trade that would officially push them into rebuilding status, but no talk may be more fascinating than Lively II's contract extension buzz.