Dirk Nowitzki took a huge pay cut over the offseason to help the Dallas Mavericks afford other good players, and Chandler Parsons was the beneficiary.
Dirk, who is certain to be a Hall of Famer, signed for $25 million over three years even though he easily could have earned around double that on the open market. The discount helped the Mavs sign Parsons away from the Houston Rockets for $46 million over three years.
Since Parsons will be making significantly more money than the far more accomplished Dirk, Nowitzki has an idea of how the newcomer can make it up to him.
“I told him every dinner on the road this year is on him,” Nowitzki said via ESPN Dallas, “because it’s my money anyway.”
Parsons, who just turned 26, grew up a big fan of Nowitzki. He’s extremely grateful that Dirk took the pay cut so they could play together.
“He’s the ultimate teammate,” Parsons told ESPN Dallas’ Tim MacMahon. “I’m very humbled and glad that he did that, because I wanted to be here and I wanted to play here, and I wanted to play with him. That just shows you how much he wants to win. He’ll take that big of a pay cut to try to bring a guy like me to try to help him win a championship.”
I still don’t think the Mavs will be a championship contender even with Parsons, but this quote is just another example of what makes Dirk so enjoyable. I have a ton of respect for his game, and like him even more because he is a fun dude.
Chest bump to Pro Basketball Talk
