Dirk Nowitzki may not have any intention of leaving the Dallas Mavericks, but the Golden State Warriors may have plans to pitch him anyway.
The San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami reports that — big shocker here — the Warriors’ front office was highly motivated after Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers to do what they can to improve the team so they can win it all next season. He says they plan to be “very aggressive” and pursue free agents or trade candidates.
One player he specifically says the Warriors will target is Nowitzki.
Dirk turned 38 on Sunday but still was able to contribute at a high level last season, averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has a player option for just over $8 million next season, but he has said he may opt out to sign a two or three-year deal with Dallas. He has spent his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, winning an MVP award, championship and NBA Finals MVP.
The Warriors still plan to pursue Kevin Durant this summer before anyone else, but Nowitzki is another very strong target for them, per Kawakami. He says the team planned to make changes to their roster whether or not they won the Finals, with the bench being a prime area for change.
Nowitzki has resisted pursuits from other teams in the past and has remained committed to the Mavs, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to do so. But if the Warriors heavily pursue him, it will be flattering and give him something to at least consider. And maybe if the Warriors don’t even get Nowitzki, this just shows the aggressive mentality Golden State may have this offseason.
