It’s long been a foregone conclusion that future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki would return to the Dallas Mavericks after the team refused to pick up his option for the 2017-18 season. In fact, there’s been no real talk on the Dirk front since free agency opened on Saturday.
There’s definitely a reason for this. Nowitzki was never going to leave the only team he has suited up for during an illustrious 19-year career.
It’s now being reported that the Mavericks and 13-time All-Star are on the verge of finalizing a two-year, $10 million deal.
Sources: The Mavs are in the process of finalizing a two-year, $10 million deal with Dirk Nowitzki. The second season will be a team option.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 6, 2017
This would definitely be a massive pay decrease for Dirk, who was set to earn $25 million this upcoming season. The 39-year-old big man is coming off a 2016-17 campaign that saw him average 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. He’s surely on the back end of his career, but that veteran presence will help an otherwise young Mavericks squad this fall.