Mark Cuban: We're Not Trading Dirk Nowitzki - East Idaho News
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Mark Cuban: We’re Not Trading Dirk Nowitzki

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Getty S 011313 Nowitzki?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1358093085158Odd Andersen/AFP/GettyImages(DALLAS) — Mark Cuban has no intention on trading All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.  The Mavericks are off to their worst record since Cuban purchased the team in 2000, but Cuban will not panic, despite their 15-23 record.

Nowitzki has a no-trade clause in his four-year, $80 million contract that expires after the 2013-14 season.  Nowitzki was a part of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2011 and has said that he has no desire to be traded.

“I told Dirk we’re not going to trade him. He was happy. I think,” Cuban said, laughing on Saturday. “I wanted to make it clear to him. I said, ‘We’re in this through thick and thin,’ and so there’s no way I would trade him, no matter what.”

The 11-time All-Star missed the first 27 games of the season after the first knee surgery of his career and recently called out the organization after a loss, saying the team would be unable to reel in a big free agent next season, after failing to sign All-Star guard Deron Williams this offseason.

“When Dirk has something on this mind, he’s never shy,” Cuban said. “If he’s going to tell you what he said in the media, you don’t think he’s going to dump on me? I mean, I’ve got texts from every single year and emails from every single year. Dirk wants to get it out of his system and then at the end of the email or text it’s like, `Don’t you worry. I’m a warrior and I’m going to lead these guys and we’re going to get it rolling.”

The trading deadline is Feb 21. and Cuban said that he plans on trying to do anything that will improve the team.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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