Despite the Dallas Mavericks having the worst record since owner Mark Cuban bought the team in 2000, the billionaire has no plans in trading franchise player, Dirk Nowitzki.
According to ESPN.com, Cuban said before Saturday night's (January 12) game against Memphis that he wanted to be clear with Nowitzki that he is committed "through thick and thin" to getting the team back in contention. The NBA star has the final say in a trade anyway. Dirk has a no-trade clause in his four-year, $80 million contract, which expires after the 2013-14 season. It gives him the right to veto any trade, but he repeatedly has said that he intends to retire as a Maverick.
"I told Dirk we're not going to trade him. He was happy. I think," Cuban said, laughing. "I wanted to make it clear to him. I said, 'We're in this through thick and thin,' and so there's no way I would trade him, no matter what."
Dallas recently fell 10 games under .500 this season... for the first time since Nowitzki's second season in 1999-2000. Since then, the Mavericks have made the playoffs 12 straight years and won the title in 2011. However, Dirk had been out for the first 27 games this season, following the first knee surgery of his career.
This season, the Mavs are playing with a revamped roster including for the second straight season after Cuban decided not to bring back several key players from the championship team.
Guards O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison, center Chris Kaman and forward Elton Brand were added this year on short-term deals ... "with the idea that they could pursue big names later, but also with the belief that the team could win now with Nowitzki," writes ESPN.
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