5. Winning with house money in Cleveland
While Golden State is probably furious about blowing its chances at having the best basketball season ever by a professional team by losing Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, should Nowitzki consider Cleveland, he will be entering a situation where the pressure he’ll face it at an all-time low.
Cleveland just ended a nearly 52-year championship drought in the Northeast region of Ohio. The impossible happened in the lifetime of many Clevelanders and the anger/resentment of playoff struggles in the region has completely evaporated.
Does this mean that Cleveland becomes a city of champions like regional rival Pittsburgh over night? No, but the soul-crushing burden of perpetual playoff choking in the city has completely dissipated. Now the Cavaliers are just a marquee free agent destination, as seemingly everybody wants to play with LeBron James.
Joining a reigning league champion in free agency is often looked at as a front-running move that cowards make, but with the amount of pressure the Mavericks organization has put on Nowitzki over the years, he could just play a relaxed form of basketball for an elite team in Cleveland next season to close out his NBA career.
Next: 4. Cleveland needs help in front court this offseason.