Report: Dirk Nowitzki opted for surgery to increase chances of playing next season
Dirk Nowitzki has decided to end his season early by undergoing surgery on his troublesome left ankle, but the 39-year-old is reportedly not planning to call it a career.
Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that Nowitzki opted for the surgery as soon as possible in order to increase his chances of being back healthy for the start of the 2018-2019 season.
League sources say Dirk Nowitzki opted for season-ending surgery today on his left ankle to enhance his chances of returning for a 21st season and to get the earliest possible start on rehab. Link to @nytimes coverage: https://t.co/jI8ka3ISFR
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 5, 2018
The surgery was already planned, league sources say, when Nowitzki told the @nytimes last week: "As of now, I'm planning to come back" next season
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 5, 2018
Skeptics will argue that Nowitzki wasn’t going to play for the rest of the season anyway because of a certain strategy the Mavericks seem to be employing, but Stein also noted that the ankle was bothering Dirk throughout the season and “severely hampered” his mobility.
Nowitzki had already hinted in the past that he did not expect this season to be his last, and he seems to be sticking to that. While he is nowhere near the caliber of player he used to be, he still averaged 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while playing 24.7 minutes per game this year. Nowitzki has a $5 million club option for next season that will likely be picked up.
