Mark Cuban Says Dirk Nowitzki Can Sign For However Long He Wants

The 35-year-old forward is entering his 16th NBA season and will be a free agent next summer, at which point he can bolt or re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, the team he has spent the last decade and a half with.

All signs point to the latter. We’ve traveled down the Dirk-may-leave road before, and it always seems to end with us looking like fools. I myself have argued in the past that loyalty knows many bounds. Look at Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Or him, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics. And look at LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. And Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Actually don’t look at that one. I’m tired of looking there.

The point is, allegiances only run so deep. Even Dirk’s. And I’m going to stand by that until I’m wrong, which I could be. This season will say a lot about whether he re-signs with the Mavs. That’s my belief. If they tank with their current core, I’m not sure he’ll want to spend his remaining days contending for mediocrity.

Which is why his impending free agency could be so interesting. If the Mavs miss the playoffs—a real possibility when you consider how deep the Western Conference is—I’d hazard his future isn’t set in stone. On the other hand, he won a championship in Dallas and it’s clear he has a close relationship with the organization, specifically Mark Cuban.

Photo via ESPN.com.

Speaking of Cuban, he’s prepared to do whatever is necessary when re-signing. He joined Norm Hitzges on KTCK-AM and made it clear Dirk has all the power next summer (via theDallas Morning News):

I have no idea. But I’ll talk to Dirk about it. Pretty much whatever he wants. Dirk’s got a no-trade deal, so whether it’s one year, three years, 20 years, it really doesn’t matter. He gets to sign and re-sign as often as he wants. The length of the contract is more about how long longer Dirk wants to play more than anything else. Particularly with a young kid, he’s gonna want to spend time, but he’s also going to want to get some sleep. I don’t see Dirk walking away from the game anytime soon.

Just so we’re all on the same page, re-signing Dirk for 20 years would be illegal. The CBA wouldn’t allow it. Cuban was obviously kidding, but just wanted to make that clear.

But he is dead serious about letting Dirk do whatever he wants. That’s not only how good he is, it’s how much he means to the organization.

Very few players remain with one team their entire career in today’s NBA. Very, very, few. Not even Pierce’s ties to Boston could withstand the rigors of time. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Nowitzki are then a rarity, a dying breed.

And while Cuban seems sure as anything that Nowitzki isn’t going anywhere, it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds in the coming year. Dallas could surprise some people, or it could be exactly what they’ve been made out to be—middling. If the latter’s the case, Dirk’s loyalty will be tested and he’ll have a decision to make.

He can leave and seek greener pastures elsewhere, or he can take a chance on the team that dismantled a championship aggregate in 2011. The same team that has yet to retool as promised.

Cuban’s self-assured sentiments suggest there’s not a chance in hell Dirk goes anywhere. We know all too well that doesn’t mean too much now. Next summer, if and when Dirk actually puts pen to paper—that’s what matters.