DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said Thursday that getting Dereck Lively II back sooner rather than later would add to a young frontcourt group Dallas is still sorting through.
May did not give a timeline for the center, who has not played since December.
Lively appeared in seven games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, before season-ending surgery on his right foot. The No. 12 pick in the 2023 draft has played 98 of a possible 240 regular-season games in three seasons. Dallas exercised his option for 2026-27, and he is eligible to sign a long-term extension before the season starts.
May was in studio at 105.3 The Fan on “K&C Masterpiece,” on the day the Mavericks named the station their flagship radio home.
Which combinations work together is the part May said Dallas has not settled.
“We have a lot of pieces and how they work, who plays well together,” May said. “Those are the things that we’re going to have to figure out. There’s a lot of puzzles throughout a season that you have to put the right pieces in the right places. And until we see them play together more, but it’s always nice to have a lot of weapons.”
“When you look at just the positional versatility we have, even with our young guys, Coop can play a number of positions,” May continued. “Morez, who I obviously coached, can play a number of positions, and he can guard all five positions, which allows you to have more lineup versatility. If we get D-Live back sooner than later, that’s a good young group. And then Risacher, who we just brought in, Max, PJ, these are guys that can slide up and down the lineup, so it gives you a lot of hope that you can find a way to win any type of game.”
Dallas Mavericks Frontcourt Adds Morez Johnson Jr. And Santi Aldama
Dallas took Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick on June 23. Johnson played at Illinois before transferring to Michigan and winning the national championship under May.
Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser arrived in a six-team trade. Zaccharie Risacher came from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Ryan Nembhard and a second-round pick.
Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Caleb Martin remain on the roster. Dallas matched a two-year offer sheet from the New York Knicks for Moussa Cisse in July.
Max Christie is entering his fifth NBA season and his second full year in Dallas.
Dusty May On Coaching A Multilingual Roster
Language has not been an issue, in May’s read of a locker room that now includes players from Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Fortunately, the Spanish guys are well-versed in English, and then Tarik is a very cultured guy,” May explained. “So, yeah, the English is pretty universal.”
Sergio de Larrea, taken in the first round in June out of Valencia Basket, and Aldama are both from Spain. Tarik Biberović signed a two-year contract worth $6 million after leaving Fenerbahçe.
Training camp opens later this month. Dallas plays Houston in Macao on Oct. 9 to begin the preseason.
