Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed to terms on a new contract that keep the forward in a Mavericks uniform for at least the next four years. He forfeited some of his own money in order to help land the franchise a big free agent this off season.
The Mavericks benefited from Nowitzki’s new deal that is worth $16 million less than what he was expected to make through the duration of his old deal. Nowitzki was scheduled to make $96 million, but is now invested in bringing new talent to Dallas.
The four-year agreement is reportedly worth $80 million. That should leave the Mavericks enough cap space to sign one of the big free agents still left on the market.
It would have been possible to for the former NBA MVP to get a max deal from any other team had he shopped himself on the open market. Nowitzki had been in Germany, avoiding representatives from New Jersey and New York.
The Nets and the Knicks are not the only teams that would benefit from the forward’s talents, but Dirk met with owner Mark Cuban to come to terms on a new deal.
The Mavericks suffered a disappointing end to a promising season, being ousted from the playoffs in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. Cuban tried to strengthen the Mavericks roster by trading for Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood at the end of the season, a move that proved futile.
The new contract saves Dallas $32 million, and gives Nowitzki a rare no-trade clause. The extra money will allow Dallas to keep Haywood, and shop the market for Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or LeBron James. The Mavericks are one of the teams that pays a luxury tax, and will continue to should the league come to a new collective bargaining agreement that is rumored to come complete with a tiered tax system that penalizes teams on a scale dependent on the tax line penalties.
The first European born MVP in NBA history has helped his team win 50 games in 10 consecutive seasons. They reached the 2006 NBA Finals, but suffered a collapse they have not been able to recover from. The Mavericks have only won one playoff series since.
Nowitzki cannot officially sign the deal until July 8th, but he and team officials are committed to getting the deal done.
Since the agreement between Nowitzki and the Mavericks, NBA sportsbooks have set lines for other free agents to sign in certain cities. Lebron is favored to sign with the Chicago Bulls at -300 odds. Wade is a strong favorite to resign with the Miami Heat at -1000.
lines for other free agents to sign in certain cities. Lebron is favored to sign with the Chicago Bulls at -300 odds. Wade is a strong favorite to resign with the Miami Heat at -1000.