Every so often, Dirk Nowitzki, 38, says something that we must interpret as a career update. This is one of those times.
Asked yet again about his future in the NBA, Nowitzki told Talk Basket’s John Hobbs that he intends to finish out the contract he signed with the Dallas Mavericks this summer before riding off into the sunset:
“My goal is to fulfil my contract. In the summer I signed for two more years. But I also have to check on my health. No one knows where I will go later, but I think that I’ll always have a home here in Dallas. I have been here for 20 years now, my wife for ten. If I want to, I would get a job at the Mavericks so I think we might stay here after the end of my career.”
Nowitzki signed a two-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks, the latter of which is a team option. While it’s good to hear that he plans to play at least one more season—we’ve recently suffered enough losses of legends to last a half-decade—you can’t help but wonder if he’ll actually be finishing out this deal.
The Mavericks are always looking to make a jump in free agency, and if they believe they have a shot at a star this summer, they might decline their option on Nowitzi and try to re-sign him at a discount, without Bird rights. He has taken pay cuts before, and this $50 million pact was viewed more as a reward for his loyalty and service than his need for actual money.
Then again, if Dirk wants to get paid, the Mavericks will of course pay him. He’s still productive for someone pushing 40, and again, he has taken discounts in the past. This two-year deal is a way of them paying him back.
