Dirk Nowitzki hopes to find a team in Europe to sign with "soon" as the NBA's lockout continues into its fifth month.

"It's going to take me a few weeks to get in basketball shape," Nowitzki said, "but then I'm ready. I can't stand not playing."

Nowitzki has been linked to Real Madrid and is intrigued by the notion of also playing for another top club such as Barcelona.

"It's a great club with a great tradition," Nowitzki said of Real Madrid. "I don't know if that's true, but (if the media reports are accurate) that's something you'd have to look at hard.

"I still can't believe that we're not going to have a season (in the NBA). I can't see us not playing. But if the lockout still stays strong, I've got a decision to make."

Nowitzki is also reconsidering his position on signing in Germany. He previously preferred not to play in Germany because he didn't want to pick any one club over the rest.

Brose Baskets, Bayern Munich and ALBA Berlin are the three most realistic candidates within Germany.