The Mavericks don’t have to concern themselves with replacing Dirk Nowitzki just
yet. The franchise icon says he’s planning to return at age 39 for his 20th NBA
season in 2017-18.
Chatting with ESPN’s Marc Stein on the TrueHoop Conversations podcast Friday,
Nowitzki said he has every intention of playing next season.
“I think so … unless something drastic changes here in the next few weeks or
the last few weeks of the season, which I don’t anticipate,” he said.
“I said last summer: I signed a two-year deal [and] that obviously meant I want
to play for two more. I want to complete that deal.”
The power forward is the league’s sixth all-time leading scorer and, going into
Friday’s game against the Grizzlies, is 48 points from joining Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as
the only players in league history to score 30,000 NBA points.
Playing in 2017-18 would give Nowitzki an even 20 seasons in the league with the
Mavericks, which would tie Bryant’s record run with one franchise.
“Twenty is a great number,” Nowitzki told Stein. “I think 20 seasons also with
one team, like I’m trying to do it — I think only Kobe has done it — that’s
another great accomplishment. So I kinda want to make the 20 fold. Plus that
summer I’m turning 40. I think that’s also a good number to be in the league …
from 20 to 40. That’s what I’m looking at.
“Hopefully I’ll finish this season out strong, and then have a decent year,
hopefully not as [many] injuries next year.”
Nowitzki played just six of Dallas’ first 29 games this season because of an
Achilles injury that began plaguing him in an overtime loss at Indiana on
opening night.
The 2007 MVP and 2011 NBA Finals MVP is earning $25 million this season and is
under contract next season on a $25 million team option. It remains to be seen
whether Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will simply pick up Nowitzki’s full 2017-18
option in June or ask Nowitzki to come to terms on a new deal at a lower salary
that helps Dallas create more salary-cap space for free-agent pursuits in July.
