DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks will be without the best player in franchise history for the final three games of the 2018 season.
Dirk Nowitzki had surgery on his left ankle Thursday morning, according to Mavs.com:
“The Dallas Mavericks announced today that forward/center Dirk Nowitzki underwent surgical debridement of his left ankle. The surgery was performed by Dr. Eugene Curry and Dr. Daniel Worrel at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas.”
ESPN’s Tim McMahon reports the surgery is not expected to force the NBA’s sixth all-time leading scorer into retirement.
“Mavs announced Dirk's procedure as a surgical debridement of his left ankle,” McMahon tweeted. "’We expect a full and rapid recovery,’ a team source says. Dirk's plan to return for a 21st season remain[s] in place.”
Dirk did not travel with the Mavs for their final road trip that began with a loss Wednesday night in Orlando.
Nowitzki’s averages of 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2018 are the lowest since his rookie season. Still, he’s seen an uptick in overall field goal percentage and three-point shooting percentage this season.
The Mavs figure to have a top-5 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. If Nowitzki returns for the 2018-19 season, he’d likely have another injection of young talent to play alongside him, Dennis Smith Jr. – this year’s standout rookie – and Harrison Barnes.
The Tall Baller From the G signed a two-year, $10 million contract last offseason. The Mavs carry a team option on that contract for next season.
