Nowitzki Accepts Mavericks Offer, Stays In Dallas

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Dirk Nowitzki will remain with the Mavericks for at least the next four years.

Nowitzki is the first major free agent to strike a deal during this NBA free agency period.

According to an Associated Press report, Dirk Nowitzki is still thinking about the Mavericks contract offer to him as of Saturday night. Holger Geschwindner, Nowitzki’s advisor, told the Associated Press:

“No statement, no decision. “We don’t have anything so far today.”

Thus far, no other major free agents look to have deals in place. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all look likely to take the holiday weekend before making a decision on where they’ll sign.

Dirk Nowitzki and his long time representative Holger Gerschwindner are in Dallas, and GM Donnie Nelson has made his pitch to Gerschwindner, but Nowitzki was not present at the meeting. Dallas likely offered four years and $96 million, the maximum that Nowtizki can receive, but they must wait for his answer.

Nelson said he’s hoping Nowitzki accepts soon, but he’s most concerned with him simply accepting.

“That’s his decision,” Nelson said. “Only he knows the timing. … Stay tuned.”

The sides are scheduled to meet again Saturday.

Earlier, we noted that Dirk Nowitzki was held up in New York. Marc Stein tweets that the hold up is over and the power forward is back in Dallas.

For all things Dallas Mavericks and free agency, head over to SB Nation's Mavs Moneyball.

Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com has word on why Dirk Nowitzki delayed his arrival in Dallas until tomorrow: he’s in New York. “The New York visit will feature a dinner meeting with Dallas teammate Jason Kidd,” Fisher writes, citing Mavs GM Donnie Nelson as his source.

The summer-long trend of the Mavericks’ travel itineraries getting weird continued on Thursday when Dirk Nowitzki informed his club that he would not be able to arrive in Dallas until Friday, one day after the start of the free-agency period. Dallas-based reporter Art Garcia of NBA.com says, via Twitter, that the delay is “not due to any unexpected problems.” So maybe there’s nothing to worry about.

The news appears to worry Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas, who says Dirk’s lack of urgency may cost the Mavs as they try to recruit anther superstar free agent:

The Mavs have no chance of attracting another star-caliber free agent via sign-and-trade unless/until Dirk’s deal gets done. Donnie Nelson has publicly acknowledged as much. They’re losing valuable time as Dirk makes his way to Dallas from Germany.

Yesterday, the AP reported that Mavs GM Donnie Nelson would accommodate Dirk Nowitzki by meeting him in Germany when the free-agent negotiating period opens at midnight on July 1st. Now, AP writer Brian Mahoney reports via Twitter that Nowitzki will be the one flying across the Atlantic:

Mavs say Dirk has sent word he’ll come to Dallas tomorrow and they’ll meet there, saving Donnie Nelson a trip to Germany.

DallasNews.com reports that Dirk Nowitzki has officially chosen to opt out of his current contract, surrendering over $20 million in guaranteed money.

The official letter stating that Dirk Nowitzki is opting out of the final year of his contract has arrived in the Mavericks’ offices, an NBA source says.

ESPN's Chris Broussard says that no one in the league, including Nowitzki himself, expects the star forward to leave Dallas and that the added year of security is Dirk’s motivation.

A new report by the Associated Press indicates Mavs GM Donnie Nelson, aware that franchise forward Dirk Nowitzki will not accept a contract extension, has flown to Nowitzki’s native Germany in order to “how sincere the club is about keeping its all-time leading scorer and rebounder.” He has timed his flight to arrive precisely when the free-agency negotiating period starts—Thursday at 12:01 AM.