The Golden State Warriors' 73-win season ended in heartbreak on Sunday, and when the front office recovers from the Game 7 loss, they will think about ways to get better in the offseason. They might even try to add a big-name star, like Dirk Nowitzki.
Wait, what?
Yes, according to the Mercury News' Tim Kawakami, the Warriors have set their sights on Nowitzki, a 38-year-old future Hall of Famer who has spent his entire 18-year career with the Dallas Mavericks. Is your mind blown? Does this make sense to you at all? My answers to those questions and yes and yes, kind of.
From the Mercury News:
"We will be very aggressive," one Warriors executive said late Sunday night when asked about the team's approach in the coming movement period. "Very, very aggressive."
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They will have some money to spend, can create more space if they need to, and can offer a nice situation for a veteran aiming for one last title (and to be credited for returning the Warriors to the mountaintop).
And Nowitzki-who won a title with Dallas in 2011 but hasn't won a playoff series since-is somebody Warriors management has circled.
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Let's be clear: The Warriors first and foremost still want to clear the decks for a run at unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant.
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Nowitzki, also a pending free agent, would be a next-tier discussion for the Warriors, and I'm told they have no idea if he'd be interested in leaving Dallas.
Why this could work: Save for a massive surprise this summer, the Mavericks will not have another legitimate chance to compete for a championship with Nowitzki. He has said that, if the Mavs choose to rebuild, he does not want to be a part of it. Golden State employs Nowitzki's friend and former teammate, Steve Nash, as a part-time consultant. The Warriors don't have a ton of flaws, but it was plainly obvious that they could have used another big man in the NBA Finals. Nowitzki is still remained an incredibly skilled and efficient scorer, and the quickness and athleticism on Golden State's roster can cover up for his weaknesses. Also, who wouldn't want to play in the Warriors' system?
Why this probably won't happen: Nowitzki has directly said that, after opting out of the final year of his contract, he plans to negotiate a new deal with Dallas owner Mark Cuban. He has also repeatedly said that he wants to finish his career with the Mavericks. It's unclear what role the Warriors would be able to offer him -- starting center, reserve power forward? -- but whatever it is would be a massive departure from what he's used to. Golden State apparently doesn't know whether or not Nowitzki is even thinking about a change of scenery, and -- forgive me for saying this about an all-time great -- given the composition of its roster, it cannot be sure that his value on offense would offset the fact that he cannot switch onto smaller players on the other end.
Until there is a report that Nowitzki is picturing himself in a Warriors uniform, it would be best not to get too excited about the possibility. Still, this is interesting, isn't it? Free agency is going to be fun.
Sidenote: This is exactly why, after Dallas was eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder, coach Rick Carlisle said that the franchise had to hope this wasn't Nowitzki's last game as a Maverick. Carlisle stressed then that he didn't want anybody to take Nowitzki's presence or loyalty for granted. I'm not saying he knew Golden State would come calling, but he did know that other teams could at least give Nowitzki something to think about.
