New reports suggest the Dallas Mavericks have managed to alienate the most celebrated player in the history of their franchise.
Dirk Nowitzki has distanced himself from the Mavericks organization in recent weeks, according to a pair of reports. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line wrote Sunday that while Nowitzki maintains an office at the team’s facility, it more or less goes unused.
One major issue for Nowitzki is said to be the team’s treatment of longtime trainer Casey Smith, with whom he had a very strong relationship. The Mavericks demoted Smith at the start of the 2023 season, and he eventually left the organization a year later to join the New York Knicks. It was even reported at the time that Smith’s demotion did not sit well with many in the organization.
.@TheSteinLine reports that while Dirk Nowitzki still has an office at the Mavericks facility, “it essentially sits dark.”
— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) April 20, 2025
The manner of Casey Smith’s ouster “is believed to be among the key factors” for Dirk’s distance from the Mavericks organization.https://t.co/7cRjLWzW0D pic.twitter.com/G4IDh9mBnj
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon essentially echoed this in a previous report. In an appearance on “The Hoop Collective,” MacMahon said Nowitzki is “completely turned off” by the franchise right now.
General manager Nico Harrison’s moves presumably have not helped matters. In addition to trading Luka Doncic, Harrison has defended his actions by saying he has to make decisions on behalf of the organization that the likes of Nowitzki may not approve of. That even forced Mark Cuban to come out and try to clean some things up with fans, albeit unsuccessfully.
Nowitzki may have been on his way to a reduced role with the Mavericks anyway, as he will be taking on a national broadcasting gig next season. However, it certainly sounds like the organization has accelerated that process by alienating him, just as they have seemingly alienated everyone else over the past several months.
