Full-court free-agent press
With the most-anticipated date in the history of NBA free agency -- and perhaps the world of sports for that matter -- merely hours away, the Dallas Mavericks are preparing to put their best full-court press on the recruitment process.Already flying Mavericks owner Mark Cuban out to Los Angeles to meet with some of the league's top-tier available talent and sending coach Rick Carlisle to meet with center Brendan Haywood, president of basketball operations and GM Donnie Nelson is completing the off-season attack by beginning the process of courting forward Dirk Nowitzki, who is boarding a flight to Dallas from Germany on Thursday -- well aware that the first domino that must fall for a successful summer is the re-signing of the organization's all-time leading scorer.
"Dirk is our No. 1 priority. We're going to treat him as such," Nelson said. "He deserves it...If Dirk doesn't end up in Dallas, our entire world changes."
At midnight Eastern Standard Time, the free-agency process officially begins. At that precise time, Nelson hopes to be selling Nowitzki on everything that he means to the Mavericks organization, before the two meet at the star's Dallas home upon his arrival.
"We're going to be there the first possible second that we can, and we'll talk basketball and everything else that's important to Dirk...We've just got to come in with the right package and hope that everything works out."
The right package in all likelihood is a max-level contract offer, which may also include a no-trade clause for security. Whatever the case, the entire front office is behind supplying No. 41 with the right deal to keep him in Big D for the remainder of his career.
Doing so will also make the Mavericks a more attractive, would-be suitor to another free agent via a sign-and-trade deal. But before fully turning their attention to any other big-name free agents, locking up Nowitzki for years to come takes top billing.
"We might be interested in (other free agents). They might be interested in us. But let's be real, no one wants to come to a Dirk-less Dallas," Nelson said. "We know that. We have to take care of him first. He knows that, too."
Knowing that, Nelson is confident that by July 8 -- the first date that free agents can officially ink their new contracts -- Nowitzki will be on board with a return to Dallas.
That's not just Plan A, B or C. It's the only plan.
"There's no backup plan -- we're gonna get him," Nelson said. "With this, there is no 'B' plan."
For all of your coverage of the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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