The Dallas Mavericks have begun preliminary discussions with center Dereck Lively II on a possible rookie contract extension as the organization weighs a long-term commitment to one of its youngest core players.

According to Marc Stein, Dallas has held early-stage extension talks with Lively, who is eligible to sign a new deal until the eve of the 2026-27 NBA regular season. The 22-year-old is entering the final guaranteed year of the four-year, $22.2 million rookie contract he signed after being selected in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The timing of the discussions comes after a frustrating 2025-26 campaign in which injuries limited Lively to just seven games. He underwent foot surgery after averaging 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game while shooting 61.1% from the field.

Although his most recent season was cut short, Lively established himself as one of the league’s most efficient young centers during his first two NBA seasons. As a rookie in 2023-24, he appeared in 55 games, making 42 starts, and averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while converting an outstanding 74.7% of his field-goal attempts. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.

Lively followed that by averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks across 36 games in 2024-25, again shooting above 70% from the floor. Through 98 career games, he owns career averages of 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 72.5% overall.

Dallas’ willingness to begin negotiations despite Lively’s injury reflects the franchise’s belief in his long-term upside. At just 22 years old, he remains one of the Mavericks’ key developmental pieces as they reshape the roster around Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg while continuing to rely on Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks are coming off a disappointing 26-56 season that left them 12th in the Western Conference and outside the playoff picture. Flagg emerged as the bright spot, averaging a team-high 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his rookie campaign.

Dallas has spent the offseason reinforcing its frontcourt. The Mavericks acquired Santi Aldama in a multi-team trade, drafted Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth overall pick, and re-signed Moussa Cisse. Daniel Gafford also remains on the roster after averaging 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 55 games last season, giving the team significant depth at center.