Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nowitzki Unsure If 2018/19 Season Will Be His Last

August 9th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki will set a new NBA record this fall when he officially enters his 21th season with a single franchise. But even after making history as a Maverick, Nowitzki isn’t ready to assume he’ll call it a career after the 2018/19 campaign. Speaking at a kids’ summer camp event on Wednesday, Nowitzki said he remains unsure whether next season will be his last, as Dwain Price of Mavs.com details.

“I’m going to make that decision (about retirement), I guess, once obviously I see how the season goes,” Nowitzki said.

As the veteran big man points out, he had a very healthy year in 2017/18, appearing in 77 games and remaining productive for the Mavericks. As he enters his age-40 season, there’s no guarantee he’ll continue to be able to stay on the court that often going forward, but if he stays injury-free again, he’ll want to consider all his options in the summer of 2019.

“If next year is going to go sort of the same (in terms of health), then hey, maybe, and we’ll leave the door open and I’m going to play another (season),” Nowitzki said, per Price. “But I want to approach this as if there is no tomorrow and then just hopefully have a great year. I’m going to try to be efficient again as I’ve often tried my entire career. We’ll just go from there, but hopefully it’s going to be a lot more fun than last year.”

The Mavericks’ win totals have slipped from 50 to 42 to 33 to 24 over the last four seasons, but Nowitzki is confident that this year’s roster has the talent necessary to reverse that trend. The longtime Mav called DeAndre Jordan one of the NBA’s most effective two-way centers and said that No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic has “all the tools” to succeed in the NBA.

“I think we should be a lot better than last year,” Nowitzki said. “That’s not a secret.”

Southwest Rumors: Davis, Jordan, Conley, Hartenstein

July 26th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Davis learned that DeMarcus Cousins was joining the Warriors while watching TV and didn’t see it coming, Scott Kushner of the Baton Rouge Advocate relays. Davis’ comments were made during a CBS-TV interview.

The Pelicans‘ superstar big man understood why Cousins decided to take a one-year deal with Golden State after entering free agency with hopes of a max contract offer.

“I was a little shocked. But I know DeMarcus, and I know he made the best decision for him and his career at that time and for his family,” Davis said. “Of course, I definitely would’ve loved for that to keep going. But at that point, I wasn’t sure what was going on with his situation or what was going through his head. It’s a lot, coming from being traded and then feeling like you deserve a max contract, and then you tear your Achilles. It was a tough situation; it’s tough on him.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan isn’t expected to show up at the USA Basketball minicamp this week, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. Jordan wasn’t at the camp on Thursday and is likely to remain absent on Friday, Price adds.
Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is participating at the minicamp but will not compete in full scrimmages or contact drills, Michael Wallace of the Grizzlies’ website reports. Conley said his foot and heel are pain-free for the first time in two years after undergoing season-ending surgery in January.
Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year contract with the Rockets is fully guaranteed next season, has a partial guarantee the second year, and a non-guaranteed third year, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets. The 7-footer, a 2017 second-round selection, signed the contract on Wednesday after playing in the G League last season. He posted averages of 10.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG in four summer league games with Houston earlier this month.
Dirk Nowitzki‘s one-year contract with the Mavericks does not contain a no-trade clause because he has automatic veto rights over any trade as a One-Year Bird, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Nowitzki signed the $5MM deal this week.

Mavericks Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki

July 23rd, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 23: The Mavericks have officially re-signed Nowitzki, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 19: Dirk Nowitzki will accept a one-year deal with the Mavericks worth $5MM, but the contract may not be finalized for a while, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Charania states that neither side is in a hurry to sign the deal, but the news means Nowitzki, 40, will return for his 21st season in Dallas.

The Mavs declined Nowitzki’s $5MM team option in June, but wound up giving him the same figure, which will use up the last of their cap space. That will set the stage for several other signings, Bobby Marks posts on ESPN Now.

The team will go over the cap to re-sign Yogi Ferrell with his Early Bird rights, then Ryan Broekhoff and Salah Mejri with minimum exceptions. That will give Dallas 14 guaranteed contracts with the $4.4MM mid-level exception still available.

[UPDATE: Yogi Ferrell backs out of deal with Mavs, agrees to sign with Kings]

Nowitzki is the most prolific player in franchise history, making 13 All-Star appearances and ranking sixth on the NBA’s career scoring list. He started 77 games last season, averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per night.

After two straight seasons out of the playoffs, Dallas could be back in contention after adding free agent center DeAndre Jordan and trading up to get EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic in the draft. Team owner Mark Cuban recently suggested that Nowitzki could be persuaded to keep playing beyond the 2018/19 season if the team became competitive again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: Cousins, Mavs, Anderson, Nowitzki

July 9th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry denies that Anthony Davis didn’t want DeMarcus Cousins to return, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Cousins stunned the basketball world by signing a one-year, $5.3MM deal with the Warriors but it had nothing to do with his relationship with New Orleans’ franchise player, according to Gentry.

“Someone said A.D. didn’t want DeMarcus back, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” the Pelicans’ head coach said. “I don’t know where that came about, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

In other news around the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks don’t plan on having a full roster heading into training camp, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. “Unless something falls in our lap we’ll keep an open roster spot,” owner Mark Cuban told Price.
Kyle Anderson‘s defensive metrics were a major reason why the Grizzlies gave the small forward an offer sheet the Spurs didn’t match, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com. He ranked fourth in steals percentage, sixth in defensive rating and 13th in steals per game and rated as the league’s second-best defending small forward last season behind the Sixers’ Robert Covington. Offensively, Anderson could be used an additional ball handler and initiate half-court sets, Wallace adds.
If the Mavericks show significant improvement, Dirk Nowitzki could play beyond next season, Cuban said in a Sirius XM radio interview that was relayed by the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs will re-sign Nowitzki, who is currently a free agent, once they finish their offseason moves after turning down their team option.”I’d say it’s under 50 percent right now (he’ll retire after next season) but if he’s playing 77 games and we’re getting better, and we’re starting to win games? You know what a competitor he is — he’s going to want to come back.”

Yogi Ferrell Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer

July 7th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by clarkcrum

The Mavericks expect reserve guard Yogi Ferrell to sign his $2.92MM qualifying offer and re-enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent next summer, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Per MacMahon, the Mavs are reticent to sign Ferrell to any deal that would increase his cap hold because the team may need all of its remaining cap space to sign Dirk Nowitzki if the team is able to find a free-agent bargain upon which to use its $4.4MM room exception. The Mavs can still create about $7MM in cap space.

However, the Mavs are still confident they can retain Ferrell for his QO because he has stated previously that he would like to remain with the Mavericks, the team who gave him his first real opportunity in the NBA after signing him to a 10-day contract during the 2016-17 season.

Moreover, it’s possible given the market for restricted free agents so far this summer that $2.92MM is the best offer Ferrell has received. As such, it makes sense that Ferrell is leaning towards signing his qualifying offer.

The 25-year-old Ferrell was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after the 2016/17 season, but saw his numbers reduced last season with the addition of rookie first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. He’ll likely compete with J.J. Barea for backup minutes should he remain in Dallas as the within report suggests.

Mavs Likely To Use Remaining Cap Room To Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki

July 1st, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After reaching an agreement to sign DeAndre Jordan to a one-year deal using a significant chunk of their cap space, the Mavericks will likely use their remaining room to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

According to Charania, that would result in a salary of about $5MM for Nowitzki, who initially had a $5MM team option on his contract for the 2018/19 season. The Mavs turned down that option in order to maximize their cap flexibility for the new league year.

While Nowitzki was always a lock to remain with Dallas, it wasn’t clear how exactly it would get done from a cap perspective. By using the rest of their cap space to sign Jordan and Nowitzki, the Mavs will retain their $4.4MM room exception for another player.

Nowitzki, who just turned 40 in June, remained a productive rotation member for the Mavericks in 2017/18, averaging 12.0 PPG and 5.7 RPG with a .456/.409/.898 shooting line in 77 games (all starts). The Mavs are hoping to get him back to the playoffs once more before he retires, having made a couple big splashes so far this summer — before reaching a deal with Jordan, Dallas traded up to No. 3 in the draft to nab Luka Doncic.

Mavs Decline Nowitzki’s Option, Will Offer New Deal

June 29th, 2018 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks will decline Dirk Nowitzki‘s $5MM team option in order to open up more salary-cap space, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Dallas plans to work out a new contract with Nowitzki, who mutually agreed to the decision, Stein adds.

This will give the Mavericks more wiggle room to pursue free agents, with DeAndre Jordan at the top of their wish list after he decided to opt out of his contract with the Clippers.

Dallas could have as much as $28-30MM in cap space, salary-cap enthusiast Albert Nahmad tweets.

Nowitzki has said he’d like to play at least one more season. Among the ways the Mavericks could re-sign him is by using their room-level exception, which is projected at $4.4MM in the first year of the contract.

Mavericks Withdraw QO For Doug McDermott

June 27th, 2018 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Doug McDermott won’t become a restricted free agent on Sunday after all, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Mavericks have withdrawn their qualifying offer to the four-year veteran.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Mavs, after we heard on Tuesday that the team had extended a qualifying offer to McDermott. According to Lowe, Dallas still has interest in retaining McDermott, but this decision will make the sharpshooter an unrestricted free agent. It will also clear extra cap room for the Mavs, since McDermott’s cap hold as a restricted free agent would have been worth nearly $9.9MM.

McDermott, 26, recorded 9.0 PPG on .478/.494/.857 shooting in 26 games with the Mavericks last season after coming over from New York in a deadline deal. While the former 11th overall pick has never averaged double-digit points in a season, he has been a reliable three-point threat since entering the league, making 40.3% of his outside attempts.

The Mavericks, who added Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in last week’s draft, have been linked to a number of big men in free agency, including DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Julius Randle, and Clint Capela. If they decline Dirk Nowitzki‘s $5MM team option, as suggested by Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), the Mavs could get up to approximately $26MM in cap space, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Marks (Twitter link).

If Dallas requires all its available cap room to make a play for one of those bigs, it could offer the $4.4MM room exception to Nowitzki or McDermott. However, since the Mavs will no longer have the right of first refusal, the team won’t be able to stop McDermott from signing outright with another suitor.

Southwest Notes: Hammon, Nowitzki, Doncic, Pelicans, Gentile

May 13th, 2018 at 2:07pm CST by marksuleymanov

Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon will become the first woman to interview for an NBA head coaching job next week when she meets with the Bucks. While the former WNBA star only has four years as an assistant coach to her credit, many feel she has gained traction to be a serious head coaching candidate, Ansar Khan of MLive.com writes.

It remains unlikely that Hammon is hired as a head coach this summer, but interviewing for vacancies now means more interviews in the future. Also, while hiring Hammon would set a historic precedent, several NBA teams have already gone in unconventional routes to hire head coaches. Ansar points out that Brad Stevens was hired by the Celtics as a 36-year-old with just college coaching experience; David Blatt was hired by the Cavaliers with no experience in the United States; the Suns just hired Igor Kokoskov, the first European to fill an NBA head coaching post.

The 41-year-old Hammon has garnered support across the league. This week, European legend Pau Gasol, who has played with the Spurs under Hammon the past several seasons, penned a letter for The Players’ Tribune in support of Hammon. It remains to be seen if Hammon lands a job this summer but the progress she has already made only increases the likelihood in the future.

Check out more Southwest Division notes:

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki — who will play in his 20th NBA season in 2018/19 — is out of his walking boot and rehabbing the foot injury that cost him the last four games of this season. In an exclusive interview with Dwain Price of Mavs.com, Nowitzki discussed his recovery and future. While it’s possible next season is Nowitzki’s last, he did not commit to retirement. “I think I guess at this age you kind of take it one year at a time,” Nowitzki said. “It sounds cliché, but that’s how it is — see how I come through (next year). I came through pretty good this year. I could have probably almost played 82 (games) if I wanted to.”
The Mavericks will find out their draft slot next week, which will make their plans for the June draft clear. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes that Dallas must find a replacement for Dirk Nowitzki in this draft as the German big man’s career slowly winds down.
If the Mavericks somehow land the first or second overall pick in the NBA Draft, the fanbase should familiarize itself with Slovenian standout Luka Doncic, who is expected to be one of the first picks this summer, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
After a successful regular season and a competitive run through the postseason, the Pelicans enter the offseason with optimism in abundance. Scott Kushner of The Advocate looks ahead to New Orleans’ offseason and big decisions that will need to be made.
Alessandro Gentile, a 2014 draft pick whose rights belong to the Rockets, will be at the NBA Summer League with Houston, per La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sportando). Gentile suited up for the Italian club Virtus Bologna this season, averaging 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.4 APG in 24 games.

Southwest Notes: Ginobili, Spurs, Pelicans, Nowitzki

April 23rd, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

While the Warriors would have liked to close out the Spurs on Sunday afternoon and start preparing for the second round, head coach Steve Kerr admitted that it’s hard not to enjoy watching Manu Ginobili continue to have success at age 40. As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, Kerr said after Sunday’s game that he’d like to see Ginobili continue his playing career.

“I think he should come back two more years,” Kerr said. “I smiled when he made that corner three right in front of us at the end of the game. It was just so typical Manu: [40] years old and 16 points, and hits the clinching three. He’s Manu. That’s what he does. I know he’s old because he was my teammate, and I’m old as dirt. So, if I played with him, he must be old.”

While Ginobili will have a decision to make this offseason on whether or not to keep playing, for now he can look ahead to Game 5 — the Spurs will aim to pull out another win over the Dubs on Tuesday to further extend the series.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Spurs‘ offseason hasn’t started yet, but it figures to be an eventful one, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. In addition to figuring out whether Ginobili will be back, the team will also have to address the futures of longtime San Antonio mainstays Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Parker will be an unrestricted free agent, while Leonard’s long-term future with the franchise has been called into question due to reported tension between his camp and the Spurs.
No team has been more impressive so far in the postseason than the Pelicans, prompting Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer to explore how DeMarcus Cousins may or may not fit into the equation in New Orleans next season and beyond. Cousins, recovering from an Achilles injury, is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Dirk Nowitzki, who intends to return in 2018/19 for his 21st season with the Mavericks, provided an update over the weekend on his surgically repaired left ankle. Nowitzki will have the stitches removed today as his rehab progresses. Dwain Price of Mavs.com has the details.