Dirk Nowitzki planning on playing again next season

Dirk Nowitzki on Tuesday declared his intentions to return next season for what would be his 21st in the NBA.

The Dallas Mavericks veteran played in 77 games this season before injuring his ankle. He said that he underwent surgery on his ankle now so that he could begin the rehab process with an eye on playing next season.

Dirk Nowitzki on next season: "I'm planning on coming back." He said that's why he got the ankle surgery now.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 10, 2018

Nowitzki is on a two-year, $10 million deal and has said all along he wants to fulfill the contract. The 39-year-old played well this season, averaging 12 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game. He shot 45.6 percent from the field and made nearly 41 percent of this threes.

Dirk, who has been with the Mavericks his entire career, said Tuesday that he wants to help guide the franchise through its tough/rebuilding times.

“I came into the league here, we had some tough times, didn’t make the playoffs a few years. Then we were riding the high time. We won 50 games every year. It seemed like it was easy. We took it for granted. And the last couple of years have been tough, so hopefully I can help the team push through those times. We have some interesting young pieces that can get better and hopefully be cornerstones of this franchise one day. I think we’re on the right path. We’ve just got to keep pushing, and I’m here to help push through,” Nowitzki said via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

The 24-57 Mavericks are in a good position to land a top draft pick, which will help in the rebuilding process. Having Dennis Smith Jr. is a nice building block to start with.