According to a report by veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein on Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks center Derrick Lifeley is likely to be sidelined for an extended period due to injury. This news was subsequently confirmed by the Mavericks.

The Mavericks added that Lifeley is currently being evaluated for swelling and discomfort in his right foot. He will miss the team's next three road games, with his return date expected to be announced in 7 to 10 days.

So far this season, Lifeley has only played 7 out of 19 regular season games, averaging 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He suffered a right knee sprain in the third game of the season and missed two more games in the past week citing "right foot injury management".

Last season, Lifeley also missed 36 consecutive games due to a stress fracture in his right ankle. Although then-Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison once said that Lifeley did not need to undergo surgery in the offseason, this judgment proved to be inaccurate - he eventually underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right foot in July of this year.

As the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, 21-year-old Lively has played three seasons for the Mavericks. Due to injuries, he has only played 98 regular season games for the Mavericks so far, averaging 8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game.

In February, the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to acquire 32-year-old Anthony Davis. They originally planned to pair Davis with Pat Riley in the paint, but the two have only played together for 79 minutes so far. Davis has been sidelined since October 29th with a left calf strain and is expected to resume practice on Wednesday.