The case for and against future free agent Dirk Nowitzki staying in Dallas
The Dirkus Circus will hit the market, but likely will remain with Mavericks
By
Matt Moore
•
6 min read
On Tuesday, ESPN reported that Dallas Mavericks franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki opted out of his contract for the 2015-16 season to become an unrestricted free agent.
Let the wild Dirkus Circus begin!
On Monday, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reported that the Warriors are "interested" in pursuing Dirk Nowitzki. Now, there's no connection between these two elements, Nowitzki was always going to opt out of his $8.7 million next year. The Mavericks have created roughly $65 million in cap space for next season, so they'll have the money to pursue big additions and yet still pay Nowitzki relative to his ongoing greatness in the new NBA economic reality.
It should be noted that Cuban doesn't believe this summer will be that crazy with how teams are not necessarily under the gun to spend their money this summer. The first time teams manage to control themselves as a majority in this kind of situation is something I have to see to believe, but it does feel notable especially in the context of the Mavericks' plans this summer.
There's an idea on Tuesday that the Warriors' actual plan is to make a play for both Nowitzki and Kevin Durant this summer, which is bonkers. But the idea of adding Nowitzki, with or without KD, is preposterous.
The case for Dirk staying with Dallas
- He's a homebody. He's got a two young kiddos and has never been a globetrotting star in search of the big-market spotlight. He's never given off that vibe. Going to the Warriors adds a lot of pressure, a lot of attention, and a lot of nonsense in the twilight of his career.
- He's comfortable. He's been in Dallas for two decades. To leave now means getting used to a lot of newness with a lot of pressure and no guarantee of another title, which by the way, he doesn't need for validation of his career.
- He's already said he's not leaving. This is from DFW Sportsday, transcribed from a radio interview back in May:
Nowitzki said Monday he is going to opt out of the final season of his three-year contract. However, he reiterated what he's said all along -- that he's only doing so to help get the wheels in motion for putting together next season's Mavericks' roster. He will re-sign with the Mavericks after July 1, probably for two seasons, he said.The franchise icon has no intention of playing anywhere but Dallas for the rest of his career.
"We had one more year on the contract, but I think this is the right thing to do," he said on "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310). "We'll sit down with [owner] Mark [Cuban] and [general manager] Donnie [Nelson] in the next few weeks and figure out how to improve this franchise. There's some moving to do. We'll put our heads together in the next few weeks. This was just one move that hopefully starts a chain reaction for us to get better and really compete at a high level."
As for leaving the Mavericks? He was adamant, as he has been before, that he doesn't want to go anywhere, and it's been that way since they won the title in 2011.
- Additionally, Nowitzki appeared on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas in late June and reiterated that as long as the team is contending (not outright tanking) that he would return.
- Nowitzki will have to fit in a certain way with the Warriors or anywhere else. He won't have control over his role, and may be put in uncomfortable situations, off the bench, or whatever.
- Him leaving impacts his legacy, or if you hate that word, how his career will be viewed. He is the icon in Dallas Mavericks basketball history. That changes if he dons another uniform. Even if the damage is slight, it's there. Hakeem Olajuwon's Raptors days, Patrick Ewing's Sonics stint, Jordan's Wizards time, Gary Payton and Karl Malone in Lakers yellow. It changes how your career is viewed.
- He's exceptionally tight with Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson. They have a close relationship, those two have gone out of their way to build trust with Nowitzki. Dirk turning his back on them might be something they understood and supported, but it would still be very much out of character for Nowitzki to do so.
However, if there's one thing we've learned throughout NBA free agency history, it's that we can never really predict what will happen. So very quickly here are five teams that would make for a fascinating fit for Nowitzki if he did decide that his days in Dallas were done.
The case for Dirk leaving Dallas
- Golden State Warriors: A fun, progressive team with great shooters and a welcoming environment, Nowitzki would instantly put the 73-win team coming off the biggest failure in NBA Finals history back into top status (if they're not already there). Operating with Steph Curry in the pick and pop would open up options for Nowitzki for days. He'd have to deal with a higher defensive and rebounding workload -- things which do not fit him well. It's also probable that he winds up coming off the bench, a weird situation for a future Hall of Famer who still plays at an All-Star level. Honestly, this doesn't make much sense for either side, but it would certainly generate a ton of buzz, making it the most popular landing spot.
- New York Knicks: OK, just hear me out. He gets to play in New York, and he gets to play in the triangle, which is tailor made for him. Yes, finding touches with Carmelo Anthony would be tough, but Anthony was a willing passer last year. The triangle with Melo, Dirk and Kristaps Porzingis? That's absurd, and the Knicks would gladly max out Nowitzki on a two-year deal, topping off his career earnings in a big way.
- San Antonio Spurs: I'll take "moves that would make all Mavericks fans vomit blood immediately" for $500, Alex. Look, the David West experiment didn't work out for San Antonio. But take a second and imagine if Tim Duncan and Nowitzki teamed up for one more run, with Nowitzki playing next to LaMarcus Aldridge in a twin towers set from time to time? It's an amazing idea, and given how the Spurs tend to target veteran forwards who can shoot, it's not completely unlikely. (But seriously, Cuban would pay Dirk the GDP of a not-small-European country -- like Germany -- to prevent this from happening.)
- Toronto Raptors: A fun city that needs a power forward and would fit Nowitzki very well. He'd have to take a massive pay cut, but this would be a really amazing fit depending on what they do in free agency.
- Boston Celtics: The Celtics need a star and have defense. He'd be joining a legendary franchise with a great young coach, could be the veteran for an upstart and would totally dominate with the spacing of Brad Stevens' system. It would be an iconic kind of move, and if he's looking for a fresh start, the Celtics are the type of top-notch organization that might appeal to Nowitzki.
For what it's worth, if he's in anything but Mavericks blue next season, not only would I be shocked, but the vertigo from such an image would cause me to have an aneurysm.
