NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks Giving Dirk Nowitzki An Extra $10 Million

There are rare moments in the NBA where loyalty is a two-way street. According to ESPN, the Dallas Mavericks are paying Dirk Nowitzki an additional $10 million on his new contract. Initially, the two sides agreed on a two-year deal that was worth approximately $40 million. Now, the German power forward will be receiving $50 million.

In a wise move, Dirk Nowitzki is taking things year to year. The 7-foot power forward has stated that he definitely wants to play at least another year, but he wants to leave open the possibility of playing the following season as well. Doing that would enable him to become the second player in the NBA to spend an entire two decades with one team.

An interesting note about the contract is the fact that the second year of the deal is only guaranteed for $5 million. That protects the Dallas Mavericks in case Dirk Nowitzki decides that he wants to walk away from the NBA next summer. The 38-year-old would receive $5 million as essentially a bonus from the franchise.

Dirk Nowitzki will likely finish his career w/ Mavs after finalizing 2-year, $50 million deal. (via @ESPNSteinLine) pic.twitter.com/thjxJpnBxN

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 22, 2016

The bond and loyalty between Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is no secret. The two have been very good to one another over the years.

For the past two seasons, Dirk Nowitzki has taken quite the discount for the Dallas Mavericks. The 240-pound forward has taken only an $8 million salary, which is much less than he could receive from another NBA team. Nowitzki made the sacrifice so that the Mavericks could build a good roster around him.

Things did not work out for the Dallas Mavericks as they had hoped. However, Dirk Nowitzki can walk away from the game some day, knowing that he made a huge sacrifice for the sake of winning another NBA Championship. Fans know that winning means more than money to Nowitzki.

Thanks to Kevin Durant walking away from the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks increased the possibility of Dirk Nowitzki competing for another NBA Championship. Mark Cuban acquired Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, as reported by ESPN. The talent level on the Mavericks roster increased tremendously with those two additions.

Even with the addition of Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, though, the Dallas Mavericks have an uphill battle if they want to throw another championship parade. The combination of Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, and Bogut should win a good amount of games, but making it to the NBA Finals still requires them to get past the Golden State Warriors.

Another Western Conference team that the Dallas Mavericks will have to get by is the San Antonio Spurs. Even with the retirement of Tim Duncan, the legendary center who will surely be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame some day, the Spurs are loaded with talent.

While many will simply see the $10 million as a loyalty payment to Dirk Nowitzki, beneath the surface lies a brilliant business decision by Mark Cuban. He is letting future free agents know of how the Dallas Mavericks do business.

A lot of Miami Heat fans were disenchanted this offseason when they witnessed Dwyane Wade walking away from the only NBA franchise that he has ever known to sign a free agent contract with the Chicago Bulls. Heat President Pat Riley chose to do what was best for the team as opposed to rewarding Wade for being loyal throughout the past decade or so.

At the end of the day, the NBA is still a business. Players say that all the time. However, every once in a while, it is nice to see some loyalty taking place.

[Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images]