Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Notes: Nowitzki, Cuban, Depth, Outlook

September 12th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Eli Cohen

Franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki has been serving as a special advisor to the Mavericks since 2021, when then-owner Mark Cuban brought him back to the only NBA team he had ever played for. Since the Mavs’ sale in 2023, though, Nowitzki has seen his influence diminish as new powers rose in the organization.

Recently, he said that the lack of clarity on his role has caused him to take stock of his place with the team and the league as a whole, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.

“It felt a little weird… not knowing my role,” Nowitzki said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “So since then, I’ve kind of pulled back again.”

Nowitzki did have a word of advice for the Mavs’ leadership as they look to repair fan trust following the Luka Doncic trade and subsequent drafting of Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.

“The owner has to show that he’s willing to spend and then make this a great team for the next decade to come,” Nowitzki said. “That’s all there really is to it.”

We have more from the Mavs:

Nowitzki isn’t the only person who feels his influence slipping with the Mavericks. Cuban recently suggested that his voice no longer felt particularly welcome, as Christian Clark of The Athletic relays. “There were some things that happened internally where the person who traded Luka didn’t want me there,” Cuban said during a panel last weekend, presumably referring to president of basketball operations Nico Harrison. “So, they won. I lost.” Cuban has been on record saying that he believed he would still have some level of decision-making on the basketball side of things even following the team’s sale, but that as the team ascended, he didn’t want to overstep. He now believes that stepping back was a mistake.
Nowitzki, despite the confusion about his own role, is optimistic about the team moving forward, Afseth writes in a separate article. “I think they did some smart re-signings this summer with [Daniel] Gafford and P.J. [Washington],” he said. “I think they’re deep, they’re doubled on every position… If they’re fully healthy, hopefully by the new year, somewhere in January… they’re a super deep team that can definitely be in the top four in the West.”
Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News agrees with Nowitzki’s assessment, calling the Southwest “as competitive as any other division in the NBA” while predicting the Mavericks will end up second in the division behind the Rockets, thanks in part to Houston’s acquisition of Kevin Durant.

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Kuminga, Suns, Jones, Williamson, Nowitzki

April 20th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jonathan Kuminga‘s role in the playoffs will be closely watched around the league as he heads into restricted free agency, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report (Substack link).

Kuminga never entered the game in the Warriors‘ play-in victory over Memphis on Tuesday. It’s expected that Kuminga will have at least a limited role in the first-round series against the Rockets as Golden State tries to combat Houston’s athleticism.

Coach Steve Kerr has stated publicly that the combination of Kuminga and Jimmy Butler at the forward spots hasn’t worked well due to spacing issues — both are subpar three-point shooters. The coaching staff had hoped that Kuminga might be further along in developing his play-making skills.

The front office and Kuminga couldn’t meet his asking price during rookie scale extension talks. He was seeking more than $30MM annually. The Nets are a potential suitor with enough cap space to give Kuminga a lucrative contract, but a sign-and-trade with another team could be a potential option this summer.

Here’s more from the latest Stein Line round-up from Stein and Fischer:

The Suns are unlikely to pursue another veteran coach after Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer lasted just one season apiece. However, Pelicans coach Willie Green is a potential candidate if new New Orleans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars doesn’t retain Green. Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey and Mavericks assistants Jared Dudley and Sean Sweeney could also be in the mix, Stein and Fischer confirm. Those names were all previously reported.
It’s not a certainty Suns top executive James Jones will hold onto his job. Owner Mat Ishbia could make a change in the front office before a new head coach is hired, Stein and Fischer note.
Dumars will take his time before deciding whether he’ll look to shop oft-injured franchise player Zion Williamson. There’s some skepticism around the NBA that the Pelicans will continue to ride with Williamson as their cornerstone piece.
The Pelicans‘ decision to hire Dumars a day after David Griffin was let go and the Kings’ same-day hiring of Scott Perry to replace Monte McNair have both faced scrutiny around the league, with sources wondering why the teams didn’t conduct more thorough searches, Stein and Fischer say. Dumars was also said to be high on Sacramento’s list.
Dirk Nowitzki has an office at the Mavericks‘ practice facility but he’s rarely there, which speaks to his distance from the Mavericks current ownership group and general manager Nico Harrison. Nowitzki was named a special advisor to former majority owner Mark Cuban, who no longer has much say in personnel decisions, including the blockbuster Luka Doncic deal.

Dallas Prepares To Welcome Back Luka Doncic

April 9th, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s most eagerly anticipated homecoming in several years is about to take place as Luka Doncic gets ready for his first game in Dallas since the shocking trade that sent him to the Lakers in early February.

The Mavericks are planning a tribute video highlighting Doncic’s accomplishments during his six and a half years with the team, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Team sources tell MacMahon that the Mavs contacted several companies that Doncic endorses to set up sponsorship deals for the game, but those fell apart when Doncic’s camp refused to provide its support, pointing out that he’s now a Laker.

The teams have gone in sharply different directions since news of the deal first leaked on the weekend before the trade deadline. The addition of Doncic, who’s averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game since changing teams, helped L.A. rise into third place in the West at 48-31, while Dallas is holding on to the final play-in spot at 38-41.

“I know it’s been two months or something, but still adapting a little bit,” Doncic said recently. “It was a big change. But it’s getting better.”

The trade also created a lot of ill will among Mavericks fans, and team sources told MacMahon it will probably result in a nine-figure loss in revenue over the next few years. He adds that the franchise is projected to lose “dozens of millions” this season because of smaller crowds, a sharp drop in merchandise sales, and sponsors who decided to end their relationship due to the intense public reaction to the deal.

There’s more on Doncic’s return to Dallas:

Doncic and his support staff were “stunned” when they learned about the trade and angered by leaks from Mavericks management that he didn’t work hard enough to stay in shape, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Doncic snapped back at the accusations, which he believes are an attack on his character. “They have no idea,” Doncic said. “… I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass off to be here. So it’s kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that.” Woike adds that people close to the Lakers had been impressed by Doncic’s work ethic since he joined the team, noting that he always attends optional workouts and he was able to get back into shape fairly quickly after missing 22 games with a strained calf.
After the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals, general manager Nico Harrison challenged all the players to come back “10% to 15% better,” NBA insider Marc Stein states in a Substack column (subscription required). The message was believed to be aimed at Doncic, and Stein describes Harrison as “seething” when his star player was knocked out of action by the calf strain on Christmas Day. The front office was also upset that Doncic isolated himself after each of his injuries this season and insisted that all rehab work would be conducted by his personal “body team.”
Former owner Mark Cuban and franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki, who served as a special advisor to Cuban, both lost their influence when the franchise was sold to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont in November 2023, Stein adds. With two of his top supporters gone, rifts eventually developed between Doncic and management over several issues.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd put the trade in historic context during a session with reporters before tonight’s game, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is a business. Trades happen. This won’t be the last trade,” Kidd said. “Some are comparing it to Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool. But when you look at the business of sports, change happens. When change happens, it’s the ones who carry on and keep moving forward. Those are the special people.”
Doncic embraced Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and assistant coach God Shammgod when he came out for pregame warm-ups (Twitter video link from Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News).

Mavericks Notes: Kidd, Doncic, Nowitzki, Washington, Thompson

February 24th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Jason Kidd can relate to how his former star point guard Luka Doncic feels. Kidd was an All-Star entering his prime when Dallas dealt him to Phoenix in 1996.

“It shocks you because you don’t know about that side of the business,” Kidd told Christian Clark of The Athletic. “But you have to grow up fast. It is a business.”

Doncic never saw the trade to the Lakers coming, thinking he’d be signing a super-max extension after the season with Dallas.

“You believe you are going to be with the franchise forever,” Kidd said. “But the business of basketball sometimes gets in the way. Teams change. I’ve been involved in quite a few sales of the team. Any time there is a sale, there could be change. It just happens.”

We have more on the Mavericks:

Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki was on vacation when news broke of the Doncic trade. Nowitzki didn’t see it coming either, he revealed on a Sportsradio 96.7 FM interview relayed by the Dallas Morning News. “I felt a little disappointed and sad for him. He obviously didn’t see this coming, so he invited me to come out to his first game in LA, and I felt like I had to support him,” Nowitzki said. “I felt like, I played with him in my last season, we’ve gotten close, I’ve tried to mentor him, I’ve tried to help him as much as I can the last few years and he’s a good kid. I felt like I had to go out there and support him in this new chapter, because I think and it was reported he was obviously pretty down and disappointed in how it went down. So I wanted to be there for him, I wanted to be there for his family and show support. But you guys saw my face, it was weird. It was surreal to see him play for the Lakers. I’ll never be a Laker fan, but I’ll always be a Luka fan.”
An ankle sprain limited P.J. Washington to one February game prior to the All-Star break. He came back strong on Friday with 24 points and seven rebounds against New Orleans. “He’s a budding star for our team, and he’s showcasing that,” Kyrie Irving said of Washington, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “His numbers have showcased that. So I think it’s about time we started furthering that conversation about P.J. Washington consistently doing these things and being a great asset for our team as one of our leaders and making money plays.” Washington added 17 points against Golden State on Sunday.
Klay Thompson’s technical foul on Sunday has been rescinded upon league office review, NBA Official tweets. Thompson was held to 11 points in the 24-point loss to Golden State.

Blake Griffin To Join Amazon As NBA Analyst

January 6th, 2025 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Amazon Prime Video has reached a deal to hire former NBA star Blake Griffin as an NBA analyst, reports Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

Amazon isn’t one of the league’s broadcasting partners for the current season, but is one of three companies – along with Disney (ESPN/ABC) and NBC – that are part of the new media rights agreement, which will go into effect for the 2025/26 campaign.

Prime Video is slowly filling out its roster of color commentators, studio analysts, and play-by-play commentators, having also agreed to hire Ian Eagle as its lead play-by-play man and Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki as an analyst, as Marchand confirms. Reporting last month indicated that Taylor Rooks will be the lead host of Amazon’s NBA coverage.

Griffin, who announced his retirement as an NBA player last April, doesn’t have any NBA broadcasting experience, but multiple reports in recent months have stated he was among Amazon’s targets.

The former No. 1 overall pick compiled an impressive on-court résumé from 2010-23, including six All-Star berths, and has the sort of engaging personality that makes him a logical choice for broadcast work. He was known for his sense of humor off the court during his playing days, making cameos on multiple sitcoms and trying his hand at stand-up comedy.

According to Marchand, the current expectation is that Griffin and Nowitzki will both be part of Amazon’s studio coverage. The company still needs to add more play-by-play and color commentators and has spoken to Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade about a possible role as a game or studio analyst, Marchand reports.

Dirk Nowitzki Expected To Join Amazon As NBA Analyst

December 11th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA champion and 14-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki is expected to launch his broadcasting career by joining Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the NBA beginning in the 2025/26 season, according to Dallas-area insider Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Nowitzki and Amazon are nearing a deal.

Having long broadcast its games on ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports, the NBA will welcome two new television partners next season, when Amazon and NBC join Disney (ABC/ESPN) as the league’s media rights holders, replacing TNT. Amazon and NBC have both begun the process of hiring play-by-play and color commentators for their game broadcasts.

As Andrew Marchand of The Athletic wrote earlier this week, Amazon previously agreed to hire Ian Eagle and make him its top play-by-play announcer, but has yet to hire any game analysts. Marchand identified Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, ESPN’s Richard Jefferson, and Stan Van Gundy as a few potential targets to watch for the streaming giant.

Since retiring as the most accomplished Maverick in franchise history in 2019, Nowitzki has been laying relatively low, having not immediately transitioned into a role as a coach, front office executive, or broadcaster. The Hall of Famer reportedly rebuffed interest from good friend Steve Nash to join his coaching staff in Brooklyn in 2020 and then was named a special advisor by the Mavericks in 2021 when Dallas was seeking a new head coach and general manager.

Nowitzki spoke this past summer about his interest in working in basketball, but made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a coaching job. Instead, it appears he’ll go the broadcasting route.

NBC has reportedly agreed to hire Jamal Crawford as a game analyst and is expected to have Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as its top two play-by-play men. Both Amazon and NBC figure to make several more hires before they begin their NBA broadcasts next year.

And-Ones: Diamond RSNs, Dragic, Nowtizki, Oppenheimer

August 23rd, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Diamond Sports Group – the parent company of the Bally Sports regional networks – announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with the NBA to continue local broadcasts for 13 teams for the 2024/25 season, according to Evan Drellich and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

Diamond’s agreements, including a deal with the NHL to continue broadcasting nine teams’ games, will need to be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge. That hearing is scheduled for September 3, per Drellich and Vorkunov. While the new deals will only cover the 2024/25 season for now, they could extend beyond that if Diamond gets out of bankruptcy.

Diamond won’t be moving forward on deals with the Pelicans or the Mavericks, according to Friday’s announcement. The Pelicans news was reported earlier this month, with the team making plans to broadcasting its games for free over the air through Gray TV.

The Mavericks’ broadcast plans for the coming season remain unclear. However, The Athletic characterized the split with Dallas as mutual, and an NBA spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News that the Mavs “declined to continue distributing their games” through Diamond/Bally Sports, so it sounds like the club has a new plan in the works.

The 13 teams whose games will continue to air on Diamond’s regional sports networks in 2024/25 are the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, and Spurs.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Saturday’s farewell game in honor of Goran Dragic‘s retirement – dubbed “The Night of the Dragon,” will stream on the NBA App at 2:00 pm Eastern time, the league announced today (Twitter link). Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic will team up as part of “Team Luka,” while Dragic’s roster features former MVP Steve Nash. Eurohoops published the full rosters on Twitter.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Dragic’s farewell game, Dirk Nowitzki suggested that he would like to continue working in basketball in some capacity, but he doesn’t plan on becoming a full-time coach for any team. “I don’t think I see coaching in my future,” Nowitzki said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “Things could change very quickly, but I don’t see myself as a team coach. I see more myself as an individual coach.”
Former Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer has accepted a job on Porter Moser‘s coaching staff at Oklahoma, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Milwaukee parted ways with Oppenheimer – who had a “close working relationship” with Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Wojnarowski – back in May as Doc Rivers made changes to his staff ahead of his first full season with the Bucks.

Stars To Participate In Farewell Game For Goran Dragic

August 17th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

A farewell game will take place August 24 to honor Goran Dragic, who announced his retirement at the end of December, according to BasketNews.

Titled “The Night of the Dragon,” the game will be played at Stozice Arena in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Two teams will be drafted during a charity gala dinner the night before. The game is sponsored by the Goran Dragic Foundation, and tickets sold out within 20 minutes.

Among the current and former players scheduled to participate are Steve Nash, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Luis Scola, Dejan Bodiroga, Predrag Danilovic, Nikola Vucevic and Rasho Nesterovic. Chris Bosh, Dragic’s former teammate in Miami, will attend the event but won’t play.

BasketNews reports that Jimmy Butler was originally set to appear, but had to cancel due to a commitment in China.

Dragic, 38, appeared in 946 games with seven teams during his 15 NBA seasons. He was named Most Improved Player during the 2013/14 season and was selected to the All-Star Game in 2017/18.

He’s also a Slovenian basketball legend, leading the nation to its first EuroBasket title in 2017 while earning Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament.

Hall Of Fame Notes: Nowitzki, P. Gasol, Spurs, Wade

August 11th, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has earned plenty of well-deserved praise as he nears his Hall of Fame induction, which will take place on Saturday. Soccer star Toni Kroos believes his fellow countryman is the greatest German athlete in history, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who also writes a long list of his memories after covering Nowitzki’s career over the past 25 years.

“For me,” said the Real Madrid midfield ace, “Dirk is above anybody.”

As Stein observes, Germany has had a number of incredible athletes, including former tennis stars Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, ex-Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, former soccer player Franz Beckenbauer, and Kroos himself. Yet Nowitzki stands alone for Kroos, not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for the way he carried himself off it.

“At this point we don’t need to talk about his quality as a basketball player,” Kroos told Stein. “To be on this level for so many years, to achieve what he achieved and to make the money he made throughout his career and then to stay the same down-to-Earth guy is what really matters. My feeling is that, little by little, we are losing these Dirk Nowitzkis and Roger Federers. We need more Dirks in this world.”

Tim Cato of The Athletic passes along his own memories of Nowitzki’s career, as well as excerpts from fellow writers touching on the big man’s impact on Dallas and the people around him.

Here are more notes ahead of tomorrow’s enshrinement:

Pau Gasol is among the star-studded class that will be inducted. He recently gave an exclusive interview to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times that covered a number of topics, including his time with the Lakers, his relationship with Kobe Bryant, and what being a Hall-of-Famer means to him.
At a news conference on Friday, the Spanish big man touched on how special it was to be inducted with fellow Europeans Nowitzki and Tony Parker (France). “This class is an incredible accomplishment for European basketball and for international basketball as well,” Gasol said, per Eurohoops.net. “The game has grown so much since we first started playing in the NBA. We can be very proud of having taken the international game to a higher level and very proud of seeing how current players are taking it to the next level. It’s very special to share this moment with Dirk and Tony. It’s remarkable, something that was unthinkable not too long ago. It’s beautiful to share the message that things are possible, things do change and improve, things are exciting, and allow any kid, boy or girl, to dream that they can do it too. That’s the exciting part for me.”
Parker will be the first Frenchman inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he’ll be joined by several people connected to the Spurs, including his former teammate Gasol, his ex-head coach Gregg Popovich, and former assistant coach Becky Hammon. That was one of the topics he discussed in a lengthy interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “That’s crazy,” Parker said. “I don’t even know if it happened in the history of the Hall of Fame that the player is going the same year as his coach. It’s pretty cool. And the whole process is pretty cool because Pau, I played against him since I’m 14 years old and played together at the Spurs. Dirk, a huge Texas rivalry and I went to his jersey retirement. Becky Hammon, people don’t know that a lot, but she’s like my big sister. We [are] very, very close friends. And we were in San Antonio together and spent a lot of time together. Coach Pop was my coach. There’s a lot of connections in that class that makes it very special for me.” Parker also recently sat down for an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link).
On Friday, Popovich said Parker’s first workout with the Spurs went so poorly the team almost didn’t draft him, but the guard’s agent convinced San Antonio to give him another shot, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I hated him,” Popovich said. “I said I don’t want him. He’s a weenie. He’s unaggressive. He doesn’t like contact, he’s 19, and I don’t want to see him.” However, Parker “kicked ass” at his second workout. “The rest,” Popovich said, “is history.”
Ahead of his enshrinement, Heat legend Dwyane Wade answered 16 questions posed by Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, and discussed his post-NBA success with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

And-Ones: Nowitzki, 2024 Draft, Extension-Eligible Players

August 4th, 2023 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Former Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will be part of a star-studded 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class, spoke to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News about his upcoming enshrinement, which will take place next Saturday (August 12).

As Nowitzki explains, growing up in Germany, he was unaware about the importance of the Hall of Fame. It wasn’t until he entered the NBA that he began to learn how meaningful it is to the game’s players. He visited the Hall of Fame in person for the first time in 2018, when he witnessed the inductions of his former teammates Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Five years later, Nash and Kidd will be the co-presenters introducing Nowitzki when he enters the Hall.

“I remember being so happy for those two; that they got to go in for the careers they had,” Nowitzki said. “I remember just sitting and soaking it all in and listening to all the speeches. Now I’m so happy, I actually can’t believe it’s my time now.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a look at six key storylines to watch in advance of the 2024 NBA draft, starting with a wide-open race for the No. 1 pick. One of the other topics of intrigue highlighted by Wasserman relates to the standout freshmen who will be looking to crack crowded, established rotations.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype ranks the players who are eligible to be extended before the start of the 2023/24 season, including Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. While some of the players on Gozlan’s list figure to get new deals in the coming weeks or months, others will likely wait until 2024 or beyond to sign their next contracts.
Depending on where the 2024/25 salary cap lands, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has a chance to become the first player to earn $300MM on a single NBA contract. However, he certainly won’t be the last, according to Mike Vornukov of The Athletic, who explores what contracts could look like in a few years if the cap keeps increase at its current exponential rate.