The Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban are headed into free agency with deep pockets and making a ploy at the biggest names on the market. There also is the small matter of re-signing power forward Dirk Nowitzki who is also a free agent though he is committed to remaining with the Mavericks.
In order to give the Mavericks the most financial flexibility during negotiations, Nowitzki will reportedly wait for the Mavericks to sort out their free agent acquisitions before signing a deal.
No urgency on the part of Dirk Nowitzki or Mavs to get new deal done. Nowitzki content to let Mark Cuban pursue free-agent upgrades first.
— Ken Berger (@KBergNBA) July 1, 2014
In addition to Carmelo Anthony and Luol Deng, Mavs expect to meet soon with Trevor Ariza and RFA Chandler Parsons, source says.
— Ken Berger (@KBergNBA) July 1, 2014
The thought process behind the decision is simple, why take a large chunk of money now if it limits who or how many players you can sign. Maybe adding more pieces and taking less money to pursue an NBA title is the way to go. On the other hand if the Mavericks whiff in free agency again and everything is falling on Dirk’s shoulders for another season, why not take a larger deal.