Dirk Nowitzki officially re-signs with the Mavericks on a $50 million deal

The Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki have agreed to a two year deal worth $50 million, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. After taking discounts on consecutive contracts for Dallas, Nowitzki is finally get paid lucratively, which he has more than deserved after 18 amazing seasons with this franchise.

If Nowitzki had taken the max on his previous contracts, he could have earned nearly $44 million more than he has. The timing is crucial here -- with the cap rising drastically, Dallas had more room to negotiate this season. The discounts he took in the past seasons were crucial for the team to operate like they wanted to in free agency. This year, all the Mavericks had to do is keep his $12.5 million cap hold and they could re-sign Nowitzki well over the cap using his Bird Rights, as they ended up doing. Loyalty is a two way street and the Mavericks "did right by Dirk" when they finally had a chance to do so.

Nowitzki will be the highest paid player on the team and he is expected to finish out this contract.