Where Dirk Nowitzki Stands on Repairing the Relationship with the Franchise

After the Hall of Fame forward Dirk Nowitzki attended the jersey retirement ceremony of Dallas Mavericks‘ Mark Aguirre, many are wondering if his relationship with the front office has improved since last season’s blockbuster Luka Doncic trade.

Nowitzki seemed to speak for every die-hard Mavericks fan in Dallas when he the organization called for last year’s Doncic trade on national television, as noted by NBA insider Mark Stein.

“You’ll recall back in November that Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, speaking on the NBA’s pregame show, said the Luke trade and its months of fallout “definitely set the franchise back.” This is probably a good time to re-watch the entire two-plus minutes of Nowitzki’s analysis,” Stein wrote. “He sums it up very well and in a more concise way than a verbose sportswriter.

Still, after firing former GM Nick Harrison, the Mavericks front office is eager to bring Nowitzki back to the organization in some capacity, a role that is entirely up to Dirk, according to Stein.

“You just saw No. 41 at Mark Aguirre’s jersey retirement ceremony earlier this week and as far as I know, he and Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont had an open dialogue since the spring … months before Harrison’s firing,” Stein added. “The Mavericks are very keen to have Nowitzki return to the organization and have conveyed to him that he can do so in any role he chooses.”

“But the 47-year-old has been focusing this season on his new job as a studio analyst for Amazon, as well as his various duties and travel commitments as a FIBA ​​board member and global ambassador for the sport’s international governing body,” concluded Stein.

Mavericks owner trying to bring back Dirk Nowitzki

Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont wants Dirk Nowitzki back to the organization he led to its first and only championship in 2011. While Nowitzki hasn’t completely avoided the Mavericks, attending various games, including this season, the Mavs would love to bring him closeraccording to Tim MacMahon, he said, according to ESPN’s Howdy Partners.

“His presence and his willingness to show up on the jumbotron, his son Max in a Cooper Flag jersey, that was an indication that Dirk was kind of starting to accept the olive branch from Patrick Dumont, because the relationship between Dirk and the franchise was completely frayed,” McMahon said.

The tension between Nowitzki and the Mavericks had developed over the years, but intensified after Harrison took control of basketball operations. Harrison’s decision to fire longtime health director and coach Casey Smith was one of the turning points. It was a move that Nowitzki strongly opposed. The Mavericks’ trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers made matters worse.

“The Luke trade was the absolute last straw, but it was spilled before that, going back to when Nico Harrison fired Casey Smith, and Dirk wasn’t going to be a part of this franchise as long as Nico Harrison was running the basketball operations. Obviously, he’s not anymore. Patrick Dumont has reached out to start repairing that relationship, and I think Dirk is an open part of the franchise moving forward, potentially,” McMahon added.

The Mavericks are 19-30 this season.