Nowitzki willing to come off the bench if it helps land top free agent

Keep this one in mind ahead of the LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan sweepstakes.

Dirk Nowitzki says he would be willing to come off the bench next season if the Dallas Mavericks were to acquire a marquee free agent.

Nowitzki and Aldridge are both traditional power forwards, but the Mavs are believed to be one of the two prime candidates to lure Aldridge away from the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas is also said to have mutual interest with Jordan, the Los Angeles Clippers center who's a more natural fit next to Nowitzki, but could likewise require a change to the frontcourt rotation.

The Mavs cleaned out their lockers Wednesday following elimination at the hands of the Houston Rockets the night before. Amid talk of the Rajon Rondo disaster, Nowitzki conceded it was a tough year.

Nowitzki will be 37 next season, the second year of a three-year pact that will pay him $8.7 million for 2015-16. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle appreciated Nowitzki's thoughts about becoming a sixth man, but didn't sound overly enthusiastic.

"(Dirk) has demonstrated pretty thoroughly he's willing to make any sacrifice possible. He's made great financial sacrifices." Carlisle said. "Is it possible? It's possible. Is it likely? Not sure about that."

A full-time starter since his 1999-2000 sophomore season, Nowitzki has come off the bench just eight times in the past 16 years, with six of those coming after he returned from injury midway through the 2012-13 season. He split his time between the starting lineup and the bench as a rookie. That makes it tough to get a feel for how he may perform in a bench role.

Nowitzki does see a downside, one that could require some forward planning by the team's training staff.

"The problem is there's some stiffness involved with coming off the bench," he said.

Nowitzki, in his 17th season in Dallas, played in 77 games, but his 29.6 minutes per game were his fewest since his rookie year. He averaged 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds and his player efficiency rating dropped under 20 for only the second time since 2000.