Barring a rebuilding process, Nowitzki plans to return to the Mavs

OKLAHOMA CITY – With the North Texas community hanging on his every word, Dirk Nowitzki all but said he’ll be back playing for the Dallas Mavericks again next season.

Nowitzki signed a three-year, $25 million free agent contract with the Mavs in the summer of 2014. The contract came with a clause where the exceptionally talented power forward can opt-out of it and become a free agent this summer.

After the Mavs were eliminated from the playoffs, 118-104, by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Nowitzki appeared to put all of the Mavs’ fears to rest when he announced his plans for the future.

"I signed on for three years a couple of years ago, and my intention was always to finish this contract,’’ Nowitzki said after the Thunder won the best-of-seven series 4-1. "I always said I wanted to retire a Mavs, especially after we won the championship a few years ago there was no reason to go anywhere, unless the Mavs are building.’’

Owner Mark Cuban has always steadfastly said as long as Nowitzki is a part of his franchise, the Mavs would not be in rebuilding mode.

Nowitzki turns 38 on June 19 and was the oldest player in the NBA this season who led his team in scoring. The 18-year veteran averaged 18.3 points this season and is the cornerstone of the Mavs, who finished the regular season with a 42-40 record and a sixth seed in the Western Conference.

As the Mavs’ franchise player, Nowitzki through other hints which sounded like he’ll play beyond next season and may just play for at least 20 years.

When asked about playing in the postseason, Nowitzki said: "It’ll always be fun, the playoff time will always be my favorite time of the year. The adjustments, the competition, every possession means more.

"Just everything about the playoffs is what I love and hopefully my last couple of years I’m part of it every year, then we had a good run.’’

Speaking in the postgame interview room before Nowitzki, coach Rick Carlisle could only hope that Monday wasn’t Nowitzki’s final game in the NBA, or final game as a member of the Mavericks.

"We’ve got to hope that this isn’t Dirk’s last game as a Maverick,’’ Carlisle said. "He has the option to become a free agent, and I’m ready to get on a plane and go to Germany to recruit him to be back.

"But I don’t think we can take that for granted. I think we have to give him that kind of respect.’’

Nowitzki led the Mavs on Monday with 24 points on 8-of-16 shots, and also played 35 grueling minutes while being banged around and physically challenged all night. Afterwards, always one who offered a funny line to either a teammate or a media member, Nowitzki was at his humorous self again.

Before the game, Cuban made it a point to say that the Thunder only had one superstar, and that was Kevin Durant, who scored 33 points. Cuban did not attach a "superstar’’ tag to Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, who finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

"They’ve got one superstar (in Kevin Durant), and he plays like it and he’s good,’’ Cuban said. "Russell is certainly an All-Star, but I consider Durant a superstar.’’

Asked for his comment about Cuban’s assessment of Westbrook, Nowitzki said: "I’ll take him. I’ll definitely take him.’’

As laugher ensued, Nowitzki talked about savoring the final precious moments of his extraordinary career. He also discussed the Mavs, who haven’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since winning the 2011 NBA title.

Decisions by management after the championship season to part ways with key players who helped them win that title still appear to be at the root of what ails the Mavs today.

"It’s been an unfortunate run,’’ Nowitzki said, referring to the last five seasons. "The lockout (after the 2010-’11 season) kind of messed us up after the championship.

"We made some business decisions to let all our guys that helped us win basically go and we haven’t really recovered from that. We always had (salary) cap room in the summer and waiting for guys -- every year waiting for the big guys -- and we still happened to not get the big guys.’’

Houston Rockets’ soon-to-be free agent center Dwight Howard is one of those "big guys’’ who already spurned the Mavs once in free agency. And sources said the Mavs will make another run at Howard this summer.

"We’ve still got some good players in, and every year we’re competing, but it’s just not enough,’’ Nowitzki said, "I feel like if you want to get out of the first round in the West you have to get a top four seed and you have to have home court advantage.

"It’s really tough to be a lower seed and win basically once or twice on the opposing floor. We just haven’t been good enough, haven’t been consistent enough throughout the season to sneak into the top four, but you’ve got to give those guys up there credit -- those top four teams in the West are definitely loaded.’’

With salary cap space, at their disposal the Mavs are hoping to be "loaded’’ with top of the line talent next season. Mainly, they’ve always said they want Nowitzki to be the second-best on their team at this stage of his career, and Cuban noted that sentiment hasn’t changed.

Certainly, the Mavs believe small forward Chandler Parsons and point guard Deron Williams have the capabilities to lead their team in scoring. But both players were hobbled by injuries this season to the point where Parsons had season-ending right knee surgery on Mar. 25, and a sports hernia finished Williams’ season after the fourth playoff game against the Thunder.

Also, Parsons himself can opt-out of his contract and become a free agent this summer.

"Parsons was scoring at a greater rate and towards the end of the season, D-Will was scoring at a greater rate,’’ Cuban said. "We’re always going to look to improve,

"Certainly not taking anything away from Dirk – he was great. We said at the beginning of the year we didn’t expect any 20-point scorers, but we expected a lot of balanced scoring and during the time we were healthy that’s what we got.’’

For now, the Mavs are crossing their fingers in hopes that Nowitzki is adamant about finishing his career in Dallas – as long as rebuilding is not in the franchise’s plans.

"He’s done so much for our organization, he’s sacrificed so much,’’ Carlisle said. "It’s been such a life-changing experience for me to be around a player of that magnitude for eight years -- it’s indescribable.

"I think he will be back, but I don’t want anybody to just assume anything, because he’s been too great and this is an important time for our franchise.’’

And at important time for Nowitzki.

"I always said the last couple of years I never wanted to be a part of a rebuilding, and next season I’ll be 38,’’ Nowitzki said. "As long as we go for it and every summer we add guys and we’re competing, then I’ll be a Mavs for the rest of my career.’’

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This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Barring a rebuilding process, Nowitzki plans to return to the Mavs."