Dereck Lively II’s extension deadline: what a games-based deal could look like for the Mavericks

The Mavericks have until 6 p.m. ET on Monday, October 19 to decide whether Dereck Lively II is worth a long-term commitment now, or whether they should wait and let restricted free agency set his price next summer. That is a hard call to make on a 22-year-old center whose right foot has been operated on twice in 14 months.

The No. 12 pick in 2023 is entering the last year of his rookie-scale contract. On the site’s Mavericks salary page, Lively is listed at $5.25 million, through June 2027. That is the 11th-largest of the 13 contracts listed, in a payroll whose listed figures add up to $156.39 million. Any extension would start in 2027-28, so it would not change this season’s books.

The number on the table

No terms have been reported from the talks. In July, Marc Stein reported that the two sides were at an “early stage.” The clearest public marker is the deal a said he would offer, a structure built around Lively’s availability:

The remaining $24.2 million would be split across the last two seasons. The games trigger is the key part. Dallas would pay a fair price for a healthy rim protector, and it would not pay a third year unless he actually plays.

Why the rule makes Monday matter

Under the CBA, a player coming off his rookie-scale deal can sign an extension only until the day before the regular season opens. After Monday, Dallas cannot negotiate with Lively until next summer, when he would be a restricted free agent. At that point the Mavericks could make him a qualifying offer to keep the right to match any offer sheet, but another team would be the one setting the price.

Waiting is the low-risk choice. If his foot holds up, his price goes up. If it doesn’t, Dallas has spent nothing beyond this season. The availability record explains the caution. Lively played 55 games as a rookie, 36 in 2024-25 and seven last season before the December surgery that ended his year. That is 98 of a possible 246 regular-season games. Reports said on September 23 that he had not been cleared for training camp. Marks noted that he was still not cleared for five-on-five work during camp.

The case for doing it now rests on what Lively does when he plays. Marks pointed out that in 2024-25 he ranked fourth among 138 players in defensive rebounding percentage and 17th in offensive rebounding percentage. Opponents shot 56.3% at the rim against him. As a rookie in the 2024 playoffs, he averaged 7.4 rebounds in 22 minutes across 21 games, on the way to the Finals.

Deadline-day deals are common. Marks counted 17 of the last 34 rookie extensions as signed on the final day. Lively is not the only Maverick from the 2023 draft who is eligible, either: Marcus Sasser’s window also closes Monday.

What comes next

If no deal is reached by Monday evening, Lively plays out the season on his current contract and heads into restricted free agency in July. Dallas opens the season at Houston on Wednesday, October 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET (Game Center). Lively has no announced return date. For how extensions and qualifying offers work, see our NBA salaries hub.