Mark Cuban: Unlike Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki was never going to leave Dallas
The Mavericks owner said that the Hall of Famer gets what he wants in Dallas
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1 min read
Next season, you won't see Tim Duncan playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwyane Wade playing for the Miami Heat or Kevin Durant playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. You will, however, see Dirk Nowitzki in a Dallas Mavericks uniform for the 19th straight season. Nowitzki, 38, was a free agent this summer, and he opted to stay in Dallas on a two-year, $40 million deal. Wade's situation in particular was similar to Nowitzki's, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban never feared that the 13-time All-Star would leave.
"Dirk wasn't going anywhere," Cuban told the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "Dirk and Dallas, Dallas and Dirk, they're synonymous. I understand and respect why D-Wade did what he did but there was never any doubt [about Nowitzki staying in Dallas], Dirk gets what Dirk wants."
It is not as if he didn't have options. Shortly after the Golden State Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it was reported that they wanted to go after Nowitzki. If he wanted to chase another championship there or somewhere else, he could have done that. Instead, he stuck around, and Cuban and the front office has surrounded him with a team that should make the playoffs but does not look like a contender.
Clearly, he and Wade approached free agency differently. Nowitzki famously does not even have an agent. Given how Dallas has struck out when chasing stars each of the last few summers, it would be understandable if he was frustrated, especially given that he had signed below-market contracts to maximize the team's financial flexibility. While Wade and the Heat have said all the right things since parting ways, it seems like the relationship deteriorated. That did not happen for Nowitzki and the Mavericks, and thus he will be back.
On Saturday, Miami president Pat Riley said he had "great regret" about losing Wade. He thinks he should have done more to show Wade the team wanted him back. With Dallas and Dirk, it appears this was never even an issue. It is now all but certain that Nowitzki will finish his career there.
