NBA2026-10-18Dereck Lively II Has No Return Date and No Extension as Monday's Rookie-Scale Deadline Arrives
By Verdexed NBA Desk
Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II goes into the final day before the NBA's rookie-scale extension deadline with two open questions and no answers to either. He has no return date from the right foot surgery he had in December, and there is no reported agreement on an extension. Lively was ruled out of Friday's preseason finale against Atlanta, which means he missed all four of Dallas' exhibition games.
The deadline is Monday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m. Central. If Lively and the Mavericks do not agree by then, he plays out the final year of his rookie contract and becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Dallas would keep the right to match any offer sheet. The Mavericks open the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 21, against Houston, and nothing in the recent reporting suggests Lively will be ready for that game.
Where his recovery stands
Lively played only seven games in 2025-26 before season-ending surgery on his right foot. Ten months later, the team's updates still describe a slow climb. Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has said Lively has progressed to shooting and is working toward running on the court. Coach Dusty May has said the center is moving well but is on a unique return-to-play protocol because he has missed so much time in recent seasons.
That is not the language of a player who is close. CBS Sports and other injury trackers still list him as out indefinitely, and the Mavericks have not given a timetable. ESPN reported before camp that he had not been cleared for training camp, and there has been no reporting since of a ramp-up in his workload. The safest read for fantasy managers is that Lively will miss the start of the season and that his return date is unknown.
Why the extension is stuck
The contract talks have been quiet. Marc Stein reported over the summer that Dallas had held discussions with Lively's camp about a rookie-scale extension and that the talks were at an early stage. Nothing in the reporting since points to a deal being close. One report suggested the Mavericks might want injury protections built into any agreement, which makes sense given how few games he has played over the past two years.
The math favors waiting for both sides. Dallas has little reason to pay for a player it cannot yet put on the floor, and restricted free agency lets the team match any offer next summer. Lively, meanwhile, would be negotiating from his weakest point right now. A healthy second half of the season would let him reset his value before he hits the market.
The Dallas center rotation without him
May has used the preseason to experiment, and his center spot has changed from game to game. Rookie Morez Johnson Jr. started at center in the preseason opener in Macau against Houston, over Daniel Gafford. Moussa Cisse made his first preseason start against New Orleans but sprained his left ankle and was limited to about 16 minutes, though the team said the injury was not considered serious. Gafford, who missed the New Orleans game with a right shoulder stinger, was back in the starting lineup alongside Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg in the Atlanta finale.
| Center | Preseason note | Status entering opening week |
|---|---|---|
| Dereck Lively II | Missed all four preseason games | Out indefinitely, foot |
| Daniel Gafford | Started the preseason finale | Played after shoulder stinger |
| Morez Johnson Jr. | Started the preseason opener | Available |
| Moussa Cisse | Started against New Orleans | Left ankle sprain, not considered serious |
May has said publicly that his opening-night lineup is not set. The Mavericks also still have a roster decision to make on veteran Dwight Powell, who re-signed on a training camp deal in September. Several outlets have reported that Dallas is over the standard-roster limit and that waiving Powell is the most likely way to fix that before Monday's deadline.
Fantasy fallout
Gafford is the name to target. He has started 96 games for Dallas over the past two and a half seasons and gives managers blocks, rebounds and a strong field-goal percentage. With Lively out and no rookie or camp big having locked down the job, Gafford is the likeliest Dallas center to play starter's minutes early. He fits as a late-round center in nine-category leagues, especially on rosters built around big-man stats.
Johnson is the deep-league speculative pick. The fact that May started him in the opener says the staff likes him, but a rookie who is still earning the coach's trust is hard to roster in standard formats. Cisse is a waiver-wire name to watch rather than draft, given that he is coming off the ankle sprain and has the least secure role of the group.
Lively himself belongs in the final rounds at most, and only in leagues with injured-list slots. His per-minute rebounding and shot-blocking are strong enough to matter when he is healthy, but there is no reason to draft him over a player who will help in the first month. If he goes undrafted, he is a good name to track on waivers once the Mavericks give a timeline.
Betting angle
The injury matters most for Dallas' early-season defense and rebounding numbers. Without Lively, the Mavericks are leaning on a mix of Gafford, a rookie and a camp big, and that kind of rotation tends to give up second chances. Player props for Gafford are the place to watch: early-season rebounding and blocks lines are often set off last year's role, and he may play bigger minutes than those lines assume while May settles his lineup.
On the extension, nothing here should move a season-long market. What it does tell bettors is that Dallas is being careful, which suggests Lively's return will be slow and staged rather than a quick jump to full minutes. For the model's view of the Mavericks' opening week, see /nba/predictions.
What's next
The deadline passes at 5 p.m. Central on Monday, and Monday is also the day every team must cut its roster to 15 standard contracts. Expect clarity on Powell by then. Lively's extension is the less likely of the two Dallas decisions to produce news, since both sides have reasons to wait for restricted free agency.
The more important update for fantasy managers is the first regular-season injury report ahead of Wednesday's opener against Houston. If Lively is listed as out with no change in his recovery, Gafford's place at the top of the rotation becomes even more secure. A first look at Lively running on the court would be the signal that a return is getting closer.