Dallas has waited months to hear one simple thing about Dereck Lively II: is the big man finally ready to run again? For a Mavericks team leaning on size up front, every update on his right foot carries weight heading into camp. Fans tracking his rehab all summer got a fresh update, and it wasn't the clean bill of health many were hoping for.
Underdog NBA shared the news on X, citing ESPN's Tim MacMahon, writing: "Dereck Lively II (foot) has not been cleared for training camp, per @BannedMacMahon. Lively hasn't suffered any setbacks and is slowly ramping up to begin basketball activity," Underdog NBA posted. No setback is the key phrase there.
The surgery itself is holding up. It's the timeline that's slipping, and for Lively, that timeline has a familiar shape. This marks the third straight offseason his right foot has followed him into camp.
He played just seven games last season before needing surgery again, a rough follow-up to a sophomore year already cut short by an ankle stress fracture. A history like that raises the stakes on everything else happening around him. Dallas already has a crowded frontcourt, with Daniel Gafford, P.J.
Washington, and rookie Morez Johnson Jr. all fighting for minutes. Lively was supposed to lock down as the clear starter. Kyrie Irving is still working back from his own torn ACL, and the roster is reportedly headed for more moves before camp opens.
A slow-ramping Lively only adds pressure to sort out who plays center on opening night. For now, "ramping up" is the phrase to hold onto. But with camp approaching fast, the Mavericks need their center on the floor, not just off the walking boot.
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