Dirk Nowitzki is the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise and intends on remaining that way until he retires. Now approaching free agency, he certainly has the chance to head elsewhere and could likely earn more money with another team, but the veteran is standing by his insistence that he will remain with the Mavericks while hoping the team can build a better roster so he can win one more title.
Eddie Sefko of the SportsDayDFW reiterates the fact that Nowitzki will remain with the Mavericks no matter what the rumors. Of course once free agency begins, there will be teams that attempt to try and sign the veteran away from Dallas, but Nowitzki is staying put. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson stresses that the Mavericks have zero intentions of letting their star even dip a toe into the free agent pool.
"Obviously, Dirk's not going anywhere," Nelson said, via Dallas Morning News. "He's built this franchise. He's been with us from day one. Certainly, there's negotiations to take place, but he loves this city and he wants to call it his home. We certainly reciprocate those feelings, so our hope is we'll get something done that's not only in Dirk's best [interests] but also affects the flexibility of the future of the Mavericks."
Recent rumors note that teams like the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers will take a pull at Nowitzki with the idea that they might offer him more money, but the veteran has already stressed that he would even be willing to take a pay cut to re-sign with the Mavericks and allow the team to sign other star players. Who could Mark Cuban be chasing with more money?
Cuban has already noted that he will look at making a trade for Tyson Chandler. The New York Knicks are reportedly aiming to shop the center due to his high contract. Letting Chandler walk away in free agency is easily one of the most questionable decisions Cuban has made in his tenure. Getting the center back would give Mavericks the defensive push they need.
Dallas is also looking at Chris Bosh in free agency. According to Yahoo Sports, the Mavericks will make a push for the Miami Heat center. Bosh has already stated his intentions of re-signing with the Heat, but if the Mavericks come to him with more money, will he stay loyal to Miami? Re-signing Nowitzki to a favorable contract is the first priority which will then open plenty of other moves for Dallas.
