The Golden State Warriors didn't expect to be the team heading into this offseason feeling pressure to upgrade their roster, but here they are.
There have been rumblings all season long about the Warriors' desire to pursue Kevin Durant in free agency, but if that pursuit fails, one of their prime second-tier targets is expected to be lifelong Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
After becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 series lead in the Finals, one Warriors executive told Kawakami that the team's front office plans to be "very, very aggressive" in the free agent and trade markets this summer.
Nowitzki, who was celebrating his 38th birthday Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated their historic victory over the Warriors, is opting out of the final year of his contract with the Mavs.
He's on record saying he might return on a two or three-year deal, and owner Mark Cuban has basically said he'll do whatever Nowitzki wants, but it's clear that if the future Hall of Famer wants to win a second ring before calling it a career, the Warriors represent a far better option.
The Mavs haven't won a playoff series since winning the title in 2011, and barely scraped into the postseason this year.
Kawakami reports that the Warriors have no idea whether Nowitzki is interested in leaving Dallas, where he's spent his entire 18-year NBA career. But given everything the Warriors already have in place, and given how close they just came to repeating as champions, they'd certainly be giving him something to chew on.
