Breaking News: Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki Opts Out

Dirk Nowitzki has opted out of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks and become an unrestricted free agent for the 2016-17 season.

The greatest player to ever wear the Dallas Maveircks royal blue and white has officially opted out of his contract as of today. Dirk Nowitzki had the player option to finish out his two year deal signed last offseason or become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This news was first reported by Marc Stein of ESPN this afternoon around 3:45pm but does not come as a shock to most of us. Nowitzki announced earlier this year that he intended to opt out and talking with Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle about the best plan for him and for the team going forward.

In light of the news of Golden State lining up at the door for Dirk Nowitzki and preparing to “aggressively pursue” him, this may look a bit worrisome but it is important to remember that Dirk has been with Dallas since day 1 of his career.

More from The Smoking Cuban

• Mavericks: Teammates look to collect debts after Luka Doncic’s extension
• Dallas Mavericks: What Tyson Chandler would bring as a coach
• Dallas Mavericks land Boban Marjanovic on two-year $7 million deal
• Dallas Mavericks struggle, show flashes in summer league loss to Sixers
• Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic signs massive 5-year extension

The most likely outcome is for Dirk to return to Dallas on a team friendly deal in order to continue to compete. That was the plan originally and that will continue to be the plan as long as everything goes accordingly.

However, we all must prepare now for the possibility of seeing Nowitzki in another team’s jersey next season. The only real plausible chance that this happens is if Cuban and general manager, Donnie Nelson come to the conclusion that a rebuild is the only option this season and Dirk should leave to seek another title.

With not much pull to the top tier free agents and only a second round pick in the draft, don’t expect Dallas to choose the rebuild option. Dirk will most likely be back on another two year deal which, if he finishes both years, will be 20 full seasons in the NBA.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: A Rough Past Decade in the Draft

It is hard to fathom Dirk Nowitzki in any uniform other than the Dallas Mavericks blue and white but MFFLs need to be ready for the possibility. As always, we wish him the best no matter where the offseason takes him.