Just two days after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated in Game 7 by the Spurs there has already been speculation on how much of an inevitable pay cut Dirk Nowitzki will take during the off-season in order to remain a Maverick for the rest of his career.
Nowitzki, a 12-time All-Star and Finals MVP three years ago, finds himself closing in on the end of a spectacular career. Dirk is at the end of his 4-year, $80 million contract that he signed back in 2010. His base salary for this season was $22.7 million.
So why do most superstars take pay cuts past the prime of their careers? The answer is to clear up cap space to make way for free agents for the best interest of the team.
Nowitzki has just completed his 16th season in the NBA. Although he is heading into free agency, there are indications that Dirk has a strong interest in retiring in a Dallas uniform.
As reported by ESPNDallas.com, there have not been any figures discussed as of yet between Dirk and owner Mark Cuban. However, there is speculation of possibly somewhere within a $10 million-a-year range similar to the base salary of Tim Duncan, who signed a 3-year $30 million contract two years ago. Interestingly enough Duncan was 36 when he signed the contract which is the current age of Dirk.
As of now though, Dirk is still trying to recover from the Game 7 loss suffered Sunday afternoon. Contract negotiations are the furthest thing from his mind at this point.
Photo Credit: ESPN
Follow us on Twitter @hiphopenquirer
