Dallas Mavericks: What To Make Of Warriors Interest In Dirk

The defending Western Conference Champions are set to make a run at Dirk Nowitzki. Should the Dallas Mavericks be worried?

The Dallas Mavericks have never had a player better than Dirk Nowitzki. Throughout his 18-year career, he’s been the definition of success in Dallas and continues to further his legacy by breaking records and leading the team.

This summer, Nowitzki will have a decision to make. He is faced with the choice of opting out of his current contract or opting in and keeping his current salary of around $8 million a year.

This won’t be the first time he’s been a free agent. Nowitzki has hit the market a few times before, but his loyalty to the city of Dallas has always made summers stress-free in the front office.

In fact, all of his comments regarding this summer, whether they were from exit interviews or general discussions from sources like Mavs.com or local radio stations, indicate that he is ready for yet another attempt at luring a superstar to Dallas.

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However, earlier in the month, Nowitzki made an appearance on ‘The Ben and Skin Show’ for 105.3 The Fan. He had this to say about the rapidly approaching free agent period (via Mavs.com):

"“Just trying to find out what the best (thing to do) is. Is it best to stay in the contract and play next year and keep the same pay, or should I opt out? Is that best for the franchise? Just trying to find out from Donnie and Mark what’s out there, what the plan is. So, 100%, my mind’s not made up, but I’m leaning toward opting out and trying to help, and see what’s out there.”"

While the general thought around the league is that Nowitzki will play for two to three more years, he did bring up the possibility of opting out. While he would almost certainly do that to receive his final contract, it would open the door for other teams to contact him.

One interesting report surfaced just a day after the Golden State Warriors were defeated in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News posted an article on the subject of the Warriors making a run at Nowitzki this summer.

With Nowitzki possibly opting out and Warriors owner Joe Lacob stating that the team would be “very aggressive” this summer, it comes as no surprise that Golden State would at least entertain the idea of chasing the 7-footer.

So are the Warriors on to something here?

There’s no doubt that Nowitzki wants to win another ring before he retires. That’s what the last five offseasons have been all about in Dallas.

Going to a place like Golden State, which owns the league MVP and the core to the greatest regular season team ever, is something that will be appealing to every free agent this summer–whether it’s Nowitzki, Kevin Durant or someone else who hits the market.

But could they actually attract the Mavs legend?

Given the fact the he remains loyal to his franchise and city, the answer is likely no, however, you have to wonder what would happen if Nowitzki dragged his summer out a bit and saw either the Mavs miss out on another star free agent or saw someone like Chandler Parsons leave.

Referencing back to his appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Nowitzki stated that tanking was “not part of [his] DNA.” He also went on to say that he would not want to take part in any method of tanking.

We know that Mark Cuban stated last summer that he would’ve taken a “step back” had the front office not signed an impact player. Could he have the same mindset this offseason too?

These are certainly all valid points and things to take note of before a rollercoaster ride free agency session begins this summer, but there’s one thing we’ve learned over the course of the past two decades:

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Dirk Nowitzki is not leaving Dallas.

No matter how good the deal may sound or how pleasant the situation may be, he’s not giving up on the fans that cheer for him, the locker room that trusts in him and the front office that gives him any kind of contract he wants.

If he opts out this summer, he’ll likely take an even smaller deal than before to give the Mavs more financial flexibility, but if he decided he wanted a max deal, he would get it.

This was the franchise that gave him a chance to live out his dream in the NBA and it’s the same one that gave him the teammates he needed to win a championship in 2011. He’s not the type of player to leave a situation such as that one.

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To sum things up, Dirk Nowitzki will still be with the Mavs next season. No matter what rumors come out or what contending teams make a run at him, he isn’t leaving.