Mavericks' perfect future plan rapidly fades after brutal new injury

While the Dallas Mavericks are starting to string together some momentum in the win column, this hasn't followed suit in the injury department. It was announced that Dereck Lively II is seeking multiple opinions for the swelling and discomfort in his surgically repaired right foot. Fans will have to see what the final verdict is after these opinions are sought by Dallas, but this could be haunting for Lively II if serious, and could jeopardize his position as a future franchise cornerstone in Dallas.

With Lively II and Cooper Flagg only having a slight age disparity, and both players hailing from Duke University, it seemed like a dream come true when Flagg landed No. 1 overall in Dallas, as Lively II and Flagg could theoretically be a great frontcourt duo with great chemistry for years to come. This possibility isn't out of reach by any means, but Lively II's constant injuries in his young career aren't promising for this proposition.

Lively II is still only 21 years old, but if this is yet another injury that requires an extended absence, this will mark two seasons in a row where he's barely been able to stay on the court. Ultimately, if this injury is a continuation of some of the issues Lively II was experiencing with his stress fracture in his right foot from last season, this is a sum-of-all-fears scenario for the Mavericks. Especially if he misses the remainder of the season.

Dereck Lively II's potential to be a franchise cornerstone is fading

The Mavericks' training staff infamously almost brought Lively II back prematurely from his stress fracture last season, initially misdiagnosing it as an ankle sprain. Lively II then had surgery on the same foot in the summer to clean up some loose bone spurs, and while he first missed time with a knee sprain this season, he was recently spotted with a walking boot on his right foot at a Mavericks community event.

While there's a fringe possibility the Mavericks trade Lively II ahead of the trade deadline, it's beginning to seem likely he wouldn't even be healthy enough by that time to accrue proper value, and the likes of Anthony Davis or Daniel Gafford would be much more anticipated trade candidates given their age and contracts. For better or worse, the Mavericks are kind of stuck with Lively II for the foreseeable future, but it'd be a shame if his career trajectory is thrown off due to injuries.

After being the defensive anchor of an NBA Finals team, it seemed inevitable that Lively II would develop into an All-NBA Defensive caliber player, with the potential of being an All-Star if he could polish elements of his offensive game. This scenario still isn't impossible by any means, but crucial in-game repetitions and experience are being lost with Lively II being continually out with lower-body injuries, and he has to try and get stronger in his lower body if that helps lessen these injuries even a little.

For now, the Mavericks should definitely still be hopeful that Lively II and Flagg can one day form one of the most tantalizing frontcourts on both sides of the floor in the entire league. However, Lively II's continual lower-body injuries should serve as a fair warning to Dallas to not put all their stock into him as their center of the future, as well as the fact that they may need to be more careful about trading someone like Gafford or Davis because of Lively II's injuries.