The Mavs Plan To Decline Dirk Nowitzki’s Option, But A Multi-Year Deal Could Be On The Way

The Dallas Mavericks have plenty of decisions to make this summer regarding their roster as they continue their rebuild around a young core led by Harrison Barnes, Seth Curry, new draft pick Dennis Smith Jr., and restricted free agent Nerlens Noel. All four players are under 25 and represent the Mavs’ youth movement for the future, but one very big piece remains from Dallas’ 2011 title team and their long run as a Western Conference contender.

Dirk Nowitzki turned 39 years old last week, but the future first ballot Hall of Famer won’t be retiring any time soon it appears. While the Mavs will reportedly decline his $25 million option for next season, another multi-year deal could be in the works to keep Nowitzki around, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.

Stein reports that the Mavs have interest in signing Nowitzki to another two-year deal, although Nowitzki plans on assessing his career on a year-to-year basis at this point. Dallas will “do what Dirk wants,” at this point in his illustrious career, according to Stein, but even with a big contract coming to Noel this offseason (he’s reportedly their top priority) and desires to land Jrue Holiday to bolster the point guard spot ahead of the rookie Smith, the Mavs still plan to shell out money for Nowitzki for as long as he’s willing to put on the No. 41 and trot out there.

How Dallas structures Dirk’s deal will have a significant impact on how much they can offer to top free agents on the market.

The Mavs have a very interesting summer coming up, but Nowitzki remains part of their plans for next year and possibly beyond.