Despite the Dallas Mavericks once again striking out on some of the NBA’s marquee free agents, Dirk Nowitzki, a free agent himself, is not planning to leave.
Per ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
Story online soon @espn: Mavs and Dirk Nowitzki have come to terms on the framework of a new two-year, $40 million deal, league sources say.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 5, 2016
Look, this makes sense. The Mavericks have, unequivocally, wasted Nowitzki’s twilight. They should pay him. Also, this is still technically a discount, as ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon noted:
Dirk's 2-year, $40M deal reported by @ESPNSteinLine is still a hometown discount. He could have had the $31M max.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 5, 2016
No, you don’t want to pay a 38-year-old $20 million per year. But these are special circumstances.
The Mavericks aren’t going anywhere special. They maxed out Harrison Barnes, traded for Andrew Bogut, signed Seth Curry and have Wesley Matthews. Maybe they’re a playoff team, maybe they’re not. They most certainly won’t be contending for any titles, not with the now-Kevin Durant-headlined Golden State Warriors prepping for world domination.
Plus, this could be a two-year deal with a player option. It’s not really clear yet. If that’s the case, the Mavericks get to pay Nowitzki for one year as they continue wallowing in the middle, and then he can opt out to sign for less should Dallas be in play for a superstar free agent.
Make no mistake, this is a good deal for the Mavericks. Nowitzki was still their best player for much of last season, and his loyalty, previous hometown discounts included, might as well be rewarded now of all times, when the Mavericks aren’t on the verge of fielding a championship contender.
