According to reports, unrestricted free agent power forward Dirk Nowitzki has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks for $40 million over two years. The contract cannot officially be signed until the end of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 7th.
Marc Stein of ESPN broke the news on Tuesday morning:
Story online soon @espn: Mavs and Dirk Nowitzki have come to terms on the framework of a new two-year, $40 million deal, league sources say.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 5, 2016
Report: Dirk Nowitzki Agrees to Re-sign with Dallas Mavericks
Nowitzki’s contract will take him through the end of the 2017-18 season. No player or team options in the deal have been reported yet, if any exist. Given that Nowitzki is 38 years old, it would hardly come as a surprise if this is the final contract of his NBA career.
Nowitzki averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season for the Mavericks. His steals and blocks averages declined slightly this year compared to his career totals. Nowtizki proved to be pretty durable, despite his age, starting 75 games for the Mavs this past year. Although the Mavericks lost their first round playoff series to the Thunder in five games, Nowitzki was a machine, averaging over 20 points per game and 4.8 rebounds. He showed that he clearly still has a lot left in the tank.
Looking forward, Nowitzki will continue to provide spacing as an elite shooter and scorer from all over the floor at power forward, even at the age of 38, for Dallas. Nowitzki has been the leader of the Mavericks for nearly two decades now, and he will continue to play that role. He’s the face of the franchise, and he truly represents Dallas sports. The Mavs will need Nowitzki to stay healthy and continue his solid offensive play in order for them to compete for a playoff spot once again in the 2016-17 season.
Nowitzki is going into his 19th season in the league, during which he’ll be 38 years old. He’s played his entire career in Dallas, after being selected ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1998 NBA Draft and immediately being traded to the Mavs. Nowitzki is widely considered to be a future Hall of Famer, and his number will absolutely be retired in Dallas someday.
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