Dallas Mavericks lock up Dirk Nowitzki for two more years

The Dallas Mavericks signed longtime star Dirk Nowitzki to a two-year deal on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they have signed Dirk Nowitzki to a two-year deal, locking up their franchise player for what could be the remainder of his career. The 38-year old Nowitzki has played his entire 18-year career with the Mavericks, setting franchise records in almost every statistical category.

Nowitzki was actually drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the ninth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft. He was then traded to the Mavericks for Robert Traylor, in what could be one of the worst trades in NBA history. Since then, Nowitzki has put together a Hall of Fame career, while leading the Mavericks to an NBA championship.

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The championship came in 2011, when the Mavericks upset a LeBron James/Dwyane Wade-led Miami Heat team in six games. Nowitzki was named the Most Valuable Player of those Finals, cementing his legacy in Dallas. A 2007 NBA MVP, Nowitzki is a 13-time All-Star, and has four times been named to the All-NBA First Team.

Though terms of the deal were not immediately made available, sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein that the contract would be two years/$50 million. The contract will bring Nowitzki to 40-years old, and the big German has said it will likely be his last.

The Mavericks added some nice pieces to go around Nowitzki this offseason, adding former Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes. The team also acquired guard Seth Curry, and have a roster that should return to the playoffs in 2017. For Nowitzki, he would love to add one more championship to his resume before heading into retirement.

Nowitzki will no doubt go down as the greatest player to wear a Mavericks jersey, and his owner, Mark Cuban, made sure he finished his career right where it started.