Kobe Bryant on Monday signed a lucrative two-year extension to stay with the Lakers following the season to avoid free agency, and the Mavericks' own face of the franchise in Dirk Nowitzki is facing a similar situation with his contract expiring after the season.
"Obviously, it's good for Kobe," Nowitzki told NBA.com. "That's a lot of money for a 35-year-old, but if one guy earned it, it's definitely Kobe."
But Nowitzki said to not expect him to sign a extension during the season like Bryant. Instead he will first become a free agent, then will plan to re-sign with Dallas.
"I don't really want to look forward too much," Nowitzi said. "I'm not going to extend, obviously. I want to play the season out and then we can talk about the summer. I want to have a good season. I wan to have an injury-free season and then [his coach/agent] Holger's going to take his leather coat and meet with [Cuban] in the bunker suite and we'll go from there."
With Nowitzki instead opting to become a free agent before re-signing with Dallas, he can take a lot less money with his next deal, allowing the Mavericks to have extra money on the books to possibly make a run at some other players to place around their face of the franchise.
Nowitzki's message was clear though, he is ready to win another championship, with Dallas, and he is going to handle his new contract his own way, not like Kobe.
Follow Shawn Ramsey on Twitter: @ShawnPRamsey
