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Dallas Mavericks: Dirk’s Retirement Could Start A Rough Period

By Cole Mentzel

Feb 7, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) sits on the bench during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 111-101 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) sits on the bench during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 111-101 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Though it’s a time that most Dallas Mavericks fans have not been able to think about, it is coming soon. Dirk Nowitzki could retire as early as 2017 and it’s something the Mavs have to be prepared for.

Nowitzki said, during media day, that he wants to finish up his contract before he thinks about retiring. In 2014, Nowitzki took a major pay cut in order to help the Mavs become a better team. After that, many insiders speculated that he could retire after the contract is up, which is something he hinted at.

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The question for the Mavs after Nowitzki retires is this: What’s next? Since the championship in 2011, the Mavs have been trying to build a contending team around him, but have ultimately failed. However, building a contender around Nowitzki has not been the only reason for the search. The Mavs have been looking for a superstar to build around once he is gone.

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So far, that has been a major issue. They missed out on Deron Williams, who ultimately ended up with the team, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and DeAndre Jordan. This next summer, they are set to chase after Kevin Durant, though actually attracting him over OKC and Washington is a long shot.

So, if the Mavs are never able to sign a major free agent and Dirk retires with a mediocre team around him, what will they do?

The answer to that question is something that no fan likes to hear but it would be the most reasonable answer to a situation like this. The Mavs would have to go into a rebuilding stage.

The last few seasons, it seems as if the Mavs have just been doing all of this for Dirk. Back when DeAndre Jordan had an agreement with the Mavs, Mark Cuban said that the Mavs would’ve “taken a step back” had they not landed a major free agent. Shortly after was when Jordan ultimately decided to stay with the Clippers.

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    • After that, the Mavs told Wesley Matthews that he didn’t have to stay around, but Matthews stayed loyal to his word and received a bigger contract. The Mavs then managed to scrap together a roster consisting of three centers with no real starter and got a gift when Deron Williams decided that he didn’t want to play with the Nets anymore.

    It certainly looked like this was the year that the Mavs could’ve gotten a lot worse than their roster looks right now but they ended up trying their best to put a solid roster around Nowitzki. I expect them to do the same until he retires but after that, they could look to start over.

    On the bright side, they would have two fairly young players in Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews that they could build around. Justin Anderson‘s arrival through the draft was another good choice. In past years, the Mavs have not been good at keeping their players and developing them but the franchise seems to be all in on the idea of making Anderson great.

    If all of this was to happen, it would feature a few rough years for the Mavs but whenever you have Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson in your front office, you won’t be bad for long. They could do a short-term rebuild if they kept a few good players around instead of completely destroying their roster like the 76ers and Celtics did in their efforts.

    This is something that would be tough for Mavs fans to see due to the success of the franchise for the past decade and a half but all good things must eventually come to an end, and a rebuild after Nowitzki has retired could open a hole for a new superstar to make his mark in the city of Dallas.

    Next: Injuries Could Be A Limitation For The Mavs In 2015

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