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.