Mavericks sign forward from Nowitzki’s hometown in Germany

The next Dirk?

Doubtful and more like a long-term project, although Maxi Kleber does hail from Dirk Nowitzki’s hometown of Wurzburg, Germany.

The Dallas Mavericks on Thursday signed the 25-year-old Kleber, who played professionally the last eight seasons in Germany and Spain.

Kleber signed a partially guaranteed contract and might be invited to training camp, according to multiple reports.

Kleber played last season for Germany’s FC Bayern Munich, averaging 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in 37 games. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward was selected an All-Star and Most Effective Player in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).

He also was selected to the EuroCup second team after averaging 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 17 games of the competition.

Kleber also has played for the German team in international competition, including the 2014 Eurobasket qualification rounds.

Nowitzki, 39, last week signed a two-year, $10 million deal and is set to join Kobe Bryant as the only players to spend 20 seasons with one NBA franchise.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Mavericks sign forward from Nowitzki’s hometown in Germany."