2017 NBA free agency grades: Dirk Nowitzki takes discount with Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki once again took a discount to stay with the Dallas Mavericks. Can the Mavs use the added space to improve?

Dirk Nowitzki is not only the greatest player in the history of the Dallas Mavericks, he is one of the greatest players in the history of the entire NBA. His offensive versatility is unmatched by someone of his size. Basketball-Reference has a Hall of Fame calculator, and Nowitzki is one of just three active players with a 100 percent likelihood to make the Hall.

Nowitzki invented the concept of a true stretch-big, a player with the size of a center and the ability to drain shots from outside. Among seven-footers, Andrea Bargnani ranks second all-time in made three-pointers with 627. Dirk Nowitzki ranks first with 1,780. No, that’s not a typo — Dirk stands alone.

No player in Mavericks history can hold a torch to Nowitzki either. The German forward has amassed 201 win shares in his career, good for eighth all-time and second only to LeBron James among active players. In Mavs history, not only is Dirk clearly ranked first in win shares, but the next three players — Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and Jason Terry — fall short of Nowitzki’s total combined.

This illustrates not only how great Nowitzki has been throughout his career, but how much he deserves to make as much money as he desires. Yet in the twilight years of his career, the future Hall-of-Famer has sacrificed money to give the franchise the opportunity to add more talent and stay competitive.

Last season, having struck out in free agency, the team brought back Nowitzki on a two-year, $50 million deal. This season, the team may have more reserved plans in free agency, after declining Nowitzki’s $25 million team option and agreeing to re-sign him to a much small figure:

Every part of this deal is a sacrifice on Nowitzki’s part, extended to Dallas as his role in building a competitive team. Even at age 39 Nowitzki has plenty to offer, stretching defenses and switching between the 4 and 5 positions. In a vacuum, he is worth more than $5 million this season.

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For a Dallas organization that owes the only title in franchise history to Nowitzki? A team that saw 11 straight seasons of 50+ wins, and 16 straight seasons with a winning record? Nowitzki took this team to the Conference Finals under three separate coaches, and if he demanded more money from this organization, they would give it to him.

More than the money, the deal has just one guaranteed year, with a team option for the second season. If Nowitzki chooses not to retire next season, the Mavericks hold the controls for whether Nowitzki can re-up for more money or stay at a bargain cost.

This wasn’t a deal strong-armed on Nowitzki; he freely gave this contractual boon to the team. As they do every summer, they will attempt to take advantage and add talent. Barring that, they will use their cap space to take on bad contracts and acquire assets – something they are already taking advantage of:

This could be the final season for one of the NBA’s greatest players, and if so, he will leave behind a legacy that opened the door for European players to come in droves to the NBA, showed the world’s tallest players could play outside if they wanted to, and demonstrated that loyalty to a team did not mean throwing away a chance at a title.

As players across the league exercise their right to change teams, Nowitzki has been something else — a true franchise icon. Kevin Durant made shockwaves this offseason when he elected to take less money than he could have under Golden State’s current cap situation:

Durant is following a trend Nowitzki has been championing for years. Whether Dirk lost out on a chance to win a title elsewhere is unknown, but what he did build was a legacy in Dallas that may never be touched.

His dedication to his franchise and his teammates does not go unnoticed — he was awarded that Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award at the 2017 NBA Awards Show — but recognition or no, Nowitzki is tireless in helping his team win on and off the court.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

As he once again takes a lesser contract for the good of his team, the Dallas Mavericks get to keep their star and add around him. It doesn’t get much better than that for an NBA team.

Grade: A+