Dirk Will Opt Out Of Contract

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Dirk Nowitzki will not take the final year of his contract.

The Mavericks will try to retain Nowitzki and reach a new contract before July 1.  But with that date approaching, it is now likely that the Dallas All-Star will join this summer's high-profile free-agent class.

"We're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure Dirk is a Maverick for a long, long time," Donnie Nelson said.