Mavs, Nowitzki reach 2-season, $10m deal
Ageing German guard takes huge pay cut to stay with Dallas franchise
>> DALLAS: Dirk Nowitzki has a deal with the Dallas Mavericks that sets him up to join Kobe Bryant as the only players to spend 20 seasons with one NBA franchise.
Nowitzki signed a two-year, US$10 million contract on Thursday that carries a team option in the second season. A person with knowledge of the deal contract provided specifics on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t release the terms.
The agreement is similar to the one the Mavs and Nowitzki reached last year, although for significantly less money.
Last year’s contract was for two years and $50 million, and the club declined its option before free agency opened this year.
The 39-year-old Nowitzki is no longer the primary option for the Mavericks, so a $5 million deal is more in line with his role on a roster that has become significantly younger since the start of last season.
The $25 million salary from a year ago was as much about Dallas paying Nowitzki for his loyalty, which included taking less money to help the franchise acquire free agents through the years.
Bryant retired following the 201516 season, his 20th with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the fifth player to spend at least 20 years in the NBA.
Nowitzki doesn’t seem to have ruled out playing past the coming season. At the NBA awards show last week, he hinted as much during his acceptance speech for the teammate of the year award.
Regardless of how much longer he plays, Nowitzki’s legacy is secure after leading the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011 as the NBA Finals MVP. The 7-foot (2.13m) German is also the only foreign-born player with 30,000 career points, a milestone he reached last season.
But Nowitzki wants to get back into play-off contention before he leaves after the Mavericks missed the postseason for just the second time in 17 seasons.
Nowitzki was second to Harrison Barnes in scoring last season at 14.2 points per game and could drop further with Wesley Matthews going into the third year of his deal as the starting shooting guard.
Dennis Smith, taken ninth overall in the draft, and Yogi Ferrell are two young point guards who will spend time running the pick-and-roll with Nowitzki and 23-year-old centre Nerlens Noel, a restricted free agent the Mavericks are expected to keep after trading for him at the deadline last season.
Meanwhile, free agent Vince Carter, at 40 the NBA’s oldest active player, agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, US media reported.
The eight-time All-Star averaged eight points and 3.1 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game for the Memphis Grizzlies last season and said in April he hoped to extend his 19-year career after becoming a free agent.
Carter helped the Grizzlies reach the play-offs, and his physical skills — including his spectacular dunking ability — were on display in their first-round series loss to the San Antonio Spurs, when he became the oldest player to start a play-off game since Dikembe Mutombo for Houston in 2008.
Carter, the fifth pick in the 1998 draft, was the 1998-99 Rookie of the Year with the Toronto Raptors.
He subsequently played for the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis.
For his career, Carter is averaging 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists and his 24,555 career points are 22nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.