As much as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving mattered during the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA Finals run, Dereck Lively II also carried an important role. Along with Daniel Gafford, the 7 ‘1 big man formed the Twin Towers attack for the Texas side. It has been only one season so far with D-Live, but the young gun has created several moments in the league, both wholesome and emotional. Let’s look at Lively’s journey in the league and his contract details.

Importantly, the story of Lively coming into the Mavs fold is an interesting story in itself. The story begins in the 2022-23 season when the team attempted to build a roster around Luka & Kai. Heading into the 2023 off-season, the Mavs badly wanted to find a spot in the top-10 draft picks.

In that attempt, the Mavs had to deliberately lose their last two regular season games despite having a chance at the Play-in tournament. In the game against the Bulls, the team rested their key players, causing a stir in the NBA world. Two days after the loss, Luka Doncic said, “I didn’t like that decision. That’s it.” And five days after that, the league slapped a $750,000 fine for disrupting the integrity of our sport.

Nevertheless, the team still found a spot in the top-10 draft, and ultimately selected Cason Wallace with the 10th pick. But on the trade night, the Mavs swapped the 12th pick with the OKC Thunder and on-boarded Dereck Lively II. He was playing a crucial role for the Mavs in the NBA Finals against the Celtics a few months down the line. Now that we know the onboarding story, let’s take a look at his contract details.

Dereck Lively II Contract

The Dallas Mavericks signed a four-year rookie deal worth $22.2 million with an average salary of $5.5 million per year. While Lively is exercising his second year in the contract, the star has two more years left. Heading into the 2024-25 season, the team exercised the Club option, extending his stay till the 2025-26 season. The Club option is similar to the Player Option, where the team opted to avail the player for a season.

Looking at the way things have proceeded for Lively, the team will certainly exercise the fourth year in his rookie contract. Most importantly, they will extend him even after his rookie contract. So far after the first season, the 7 ‘1″ tall center averaged 8.8 ppg with 6.9 rpg in 23-odd minutes. Going further in his stint with the Mavs, Coach Jason Kidd might design specialized duty for D-Live to work around Luka Doncic.

So far, the star has made $9.7 million as career earning, playing in his second season. Apart from his career earnings with the rookie contract, Lively has also signed a sneaker deal with Nike with his fellow 2023-24 draft classmate, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, as per Nick DePaula. The deal’s valuation is unknown.

Derrick Lively II’s emotional roller coaster in rookie season

The 20-year-old quickly made a name for himself in his rookie season. Coming off the bench in the second unit, Kidd used him as a key aggressor near the paint. The star coach split the time equally between Daniel Gafford and D-Live and ensured the Mavs had high-alert rim protection throughout the game.

Moreover, Luka Doncic, who badly wanted a roster development, found himself at Twin Towers to take care of the front court. However, Lively didn’t have a smooth run throughout. Right before the Mavs’ postseason run, Lively lost his mother to cancer. Despite that, the young gun managed to play for the side and took the team to the NBA Finals.

Speaking of it, Doncic said, “I can’t imagine how hard the situation (is), and he’s still performing well, giving good energy… Just explains how great the guy is,” In 21 postseason games, he scored at an average of 7.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg. It was his teammates that stood by him during the tough time.

In the latest documentary, Clutch: The NBA Playoffs, Lively credited his teammates for standing beside him. He said, “I came back one night, and I looked her in the eye, and she wasn’t there. April 12th, she passed. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know how to react; I didn’t know where to go. Each and every single one of my teammates got up and said, ‘If you need anything, just let me know.”

It’s almost 6 months after his mother passed away and the rising star is back again, up and running for the fresh season. This time, Lively seemed to have worked on his passing skills during the off-season, as he impressed the Mavs world with 6 assists in the season opener. Do you think Dereck Lively will go on to become a permanent member of the Mavs fold? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.