Dirk Nowitzki says he may be heading back toward the Dallas Mavericks after spending a stretch away from the franchise.
The Hall of Famer made it clear he stepped back after things in the organization no longer lined up with his view. In his conversation with DLLS Mavs, Nowitzki said, “Everybody knows that I pulled back there for a while, there was some things done that I didn’t agree with and I kind of just pulled back from the franchise,” Nowitzki admitted.
“But I know Masai for a long time. We’ve already had some discussions on what’s going to transpire in the future and he obviously wants me to be a part of the Mavericks,” he added.
Nowitzki’s distance came after Luka Doncic was traded in 2025, a move that pushed plenty of former Mavericks away from the team. He was among those who clearly didn’t approve of then-GM Nico Harrison’s decision, and the split only widened when he even traveled to LA to watch Luka’s first game as a Laker.
The front office looks very different now. Harrison is gone, Jason Kidd has also been fired, and the team’s owners remain the Adelson family, including Patrick Dumont. Nowitzki, meanwhile, has already had a previous role with Dallas, serving as a special advisor to the front office in 2021 after being hired by Mark Cuban.
There’s also a sense that the timing could work for both sides. Cooper Flagg’s rise is impossible to miss, and Nowitzki’s return would bring a familiar face back into the mix as the Mavericks look ahead. With Harrison and Kidd out, the former Dallas star sounds open to stepping back in and helping again.
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