- Longtime Maverick Dirk Nowitzki will be a free agent for the third time since 2014. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks will decline to pick up the team option in Dirk Nowitzki’s contract, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Nowitzki was due to make $25 million in the 2016-17 season, but will instead become an unrestricted free agent on July 1:
The Dallas Mavericks have informed Dirk Nowitzki that they will decline their $25 million team option for next season with the intention of signing the face of their franchise to a new contract, according to league sources.
The Mavericks have a Thursday deadline to notify the league of their intentions regarding the second season of the two-year, $50 million contract Nowitzki signed last July.
But sources told ESPN that the club will work with Nowitzki next month to structure a new deal to his liking. A two-year deal is an option being strongly considered, sources said, despite the fact Nowitzki has made it clear that he wants to make decisions on a season-by-season basis at this stage of his career.
The Mavericks’ plan, according to one source, is to do “what Dirk wants.” Nowitzki turned 39 last week and is poised to tie Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for the longest run in league history — 20 seasons — playing for only one team.
Nowitzki, who’s spent his entire 19-year career as a member of the Mavericks, will enter free agency this summer for perhaps the final time.
One significant takeaway from Stein’s report is Dirk’s potential willingness to re-sign on a new two-season contract, a hint that Nowitzki could be open to playing past next season. Earlier in the season, Nowitzki admitted that retirement could be an option — depending on his health, of course.
Nowitzki held per-game averages of 14.2 points and 26.4 minutes this past season with Dallas, the lowest numbers since his rookie season. He appeared in 54 contests in total.
