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The Dallas Mavericks can probably bank on a few more seasons of Dirk Nowitzki trying to win one more title. The star forward suggested as much in a recent interview following his Mavs’ game seven loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
“I still think I’m going to play a couple more years at a high level. And we’ll just have to wait and see, meet with Mark [Cuban] a bunch. I’m not going anywhere for a while,” Nowitzki said.
Nowitzki did allude to the Mavericks needing to at least give him a fair contract for all he’s done in Dallas. His highlights have been putting the Mavericks on the map since he first arrived, and quickly turning them into a yearly playoff team. Nowitzki is also a superstar in the league and despite his age, showed he could still play at a borderline elite level when needed during the 2013-14 NBA season.
Nowitzki was also clear that while he’d like to be paid, he also wants to make sure the deal works for both sides so the Mavericks can sign other big name free agents to help them make deep playoff runs as his career winds down.
“We’ll find a good way where I feel respected for what I did and we still have enough money left for us to get great players in here…I’m sure we’re going to find a great solution for everybody.”
Nowitzki was thought to be in decline after an injury-riddled 2012-13 season had Dallas barely making the playoffs, but he returned to form and combined with point guard Monta Ellis to give the Mavs a strong offensive punch.
Nowitzki will turn 36 years old in June, but is healthy and coming off of a strong season in which he scored 21.7 points per game. The Mavericks only finished in the eighth seed in the playoffs, but were better than advertised in the ultra competitive Eastern Conference, as they pushed the top-seeded Spurs to the brink in a full seven-game series.
