It looks like Dirk Nowitzki will be headed back to the Dallas Mavericks. I know, you’re shocked.
The German superstar and future hall-of-famer had his team option declined before free agency as a way to give the Mavericks some flexibility heading into the summer.
Of course, Dallas immediately used that flexibility to sign former Los Angeles Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan to a one-year deal, using up most of their cap space. Since Nowitzki is already a player under Mavericks control, they can then use whatever cap space they deem fit to sign him after adding Jordan.
Via Twitter:
The Dallas Mavericks will likely utilize remaining $5M in salary cap space to re-sign franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki, league sources tell Yahoo. Nowitzki's $5M team option was declined before start of free agency to give Dallas flexibility.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2018
This is the move most expected for the Mavericks. Nowitzki has been helping the team out for some time, either signing lower-value contracts or waiting until the team can sign free agents to finish his own deals.
Nowitzki and Jordan will be part of a team that also has young talent on the wing, including 2018 No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. The Mavericks will be an interesting team in the Western Conference next year, and they are yet another example of the several teams apparently not feeling the despair created by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets.
No doubt Dallas will be better than their record of 24-58 from 2017-18. How many wins will Jordan and Donic add, and how many years does Nowitzki have left? Those are the big questions remaining in Big D.