It's been a long two seasons for the Dallas Mavericks, mostly because of disappointment with injuries and growing pains. Part of that has to do with the injury bug to Dereck Lively II, who's only played in 43 games in the last two seasons due to ankle and foot injuries. Make that seven games last season after needing season-ending foot surgery.
Now, according to a report by Marc Stein (subscription required), the Mavericks are in "early stage" talks with Lively II on a possible contract extension. This would be one of the worst ideas imaginable for the Mavericks' front office.
Lively II has a bright future if he can be the defensive star he was in his rookie year. It only looks like he's getting better as he gets older, but we haven't seen enough reps, and a contract extension for Lively II doesn't make sense if he's not healthy enough to play.
Mavericks' reported talks with a Dereck Lively II contract extension raise more questions than answers
Lively II has had numerous injuries in his young career, and he didn't make things look any better when, one month ago, he told the media he wasn't ready to run or jump yet. To say the obvious, you need to do both of those things to play in a basketball game. We're still months away from tipoff, but that's still something to keep an eye on.
He hasn't shown us enough reps to show he's worth the contract extension, and if the Mavs pull that trigger and he ends up getting hurt, it's going to be nonstop frustration from the fans. It may end up being a repeat Anthony Davis situation, and he couldn't stay on the court.
We were already aware of Davis' injury history, and Nico Harrison decided to give him a chance anyway. He only played 31 total games for the Mavericks, and while he looked good in the first three quarters of his debut, he didn't show much after that. Luckily, Harrison isn't around to make decisions like that, but this would be quite risky if the Mavericks hand the keys to Lively II early in his career.
At the end of the day, Daniel Gafford may end up being the one who gets traded because Lively II is the younger piece. But even Gafford has injury questions of his own, so it's still up for grabs if anyone will be traded, but who knows? Both guys may end up staying.
A contract extension for Lively II isn't undeserved in terms of his talent. When he's out there, he's a lob threat as well as a defensive anchor in the paint. He deserves to get his dough, but he hasn't shown enough reps to prove it.
An extension may mean a near-disaster if Lively II continues repeating his injury cycle, but it's still too early to think about long-term plans for Lively II.
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