NBA Free Agency 2017: Dirk Nowitzki’s new discount deal is the first Mavericks domino to drop

We are not worthy of Dirk Nowtizki. Seriously.

He could have all the money in the world. The Dallas Mavericks should just give him every available dollar they have, but he chose not to. Dirk is set to sign a two-year, $10 million deal, first reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Thursday.

Yes, that is a whopping $5 million a year, after making $25 million last year.

Dirk’s deal was not supposed to be the first domino to drop. Thoughtful judgment was Nerlens Noel would be taken care of first before turning any attention to Dirk and, possibly, other free agents.

But the curveball has been thrown, and we need to reevaluate Dallas’ thinking for the rest of the summer.

Peace of mind for Nerlens Noel’s new deal

The Mavericks continue to wait for some team to offer Noel a max offer sheet, and the Mavericks have waited for that to match said max offer sheet.

Noel, the young center Dallas acquired at the trade deadline for cents on the dollar, will get his money and will get it from Dallas. We’ll never know who came to whom first about this discount, but Dirk taking this deal gives the Mavericks peace of mind to wrap up the Noel deal soon, and with no drama.

Once Dirk’s new deal goes into effect, Dallas should have about $65 million in committed salary, minus the non-guaranteed deals of Devin Harris and Salah Mejri. Noel’s new deal should put Dallas into $90 million with $9 million left to spend.

That is, unless the Mavericks wait just a little bit longer to get Noel’s deal done.

One more big free agent?

This wouldn’t be a summer bonanza for the Mavericks without talking about this.

Yes, the possibility exists for Dallas to try and sign one more impact free agent (define impact, am I right?) before matching Noel’s offer sheet. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is an option — albeit not a good one, but he’s young and has potential — Derrick Rose might be a thing that happens, and there may be some room for Rudy Gay if there was even a plausible discussion there.

I’m not saying Dallas should go after one of these guys. I’d much rather the Mavericks go the route of bringing back Vince Carter. But it wouldn’t be a summer of fun without Dallas finally attempting to make some moves.

So, there’s that.

How much do we love Dirk?

A lot. Never retire, Dirk.