Cuban knew Nowitzki would stay with Mavs: 'Dirk gets what Dirk wants'

Mark Cuban didn't lose any sleep over the possibility of his franchise player abandoning the team.

Dirk Nowitzki had opted out of the final year of his pact, making him a free agent, and it's believed the Golden State Warriors were interested in his services.

Of course, the 7-footer re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks - the only NBA team he's ever known - and Cuban asserts he knew that was going to happen.

"Dirk wasn't going anywhere," the Mavs owner told the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "Dirk and Dallas, Dallas and Dirk, they're synonymous. I understand and respect why D-Wade did what he did but there was never any doubt (about Nowitzki staying in Dallas). Dirk gets what Dirk wants."

In addition to retaining the 38-year-old German on a $50-million "legacy deal," Cuban is pleased with the way the rest of the roster is shaping up.

"We've put together a nice little squad, I'm excited about it," he said. "We've got a good starting five and got a good group of young guys that I think are going to be able to contribute and will get better over time. It's exciting. I'm really looking forward to it. We've got some good kids."

Cuban also admitted the Mavericks have become "Golden State south" after acquiring Harrison Barnes (through free agency) and Andrew Bogut (via trade) from the Warriors. He's optimistic about how the incoming players will mesh with the incumbent group.

"Harrison will get a chance to expand his game and (Wesley Matthews) will be fully healthy. Deron Williams, Harrison, Dirk, Andrew, that's not a bad starting five, and we've got some of our guys coming back. So we'll be all right," the billionaire entrepreneur added.