Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most loyal players the NBA has ever seen. The German man had spent two decades and some change in the state of Texas, showing how much he loved the team. However, have you heard of the saying, “You love somebody, but you aren’t in love with them?” Dirk had that moment in 2007.
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He had then spent almost 8 years with the team and was not going anywhere. They had a couple of deep playoff runs before falling to Miami in 2006. The Mavericks were overwhelming favorites the next season, and they had the best record in the league. With the Mavericks only losing 15 games the whole season, they did not have much opposition.
Or so everybody thought because they met the “We Believe” Warriors in the first round. For those who don’t know, the We Believe Warriors have one of the best turnaround stories in just one season. Nobody expected them to beat the best team in the league, but they did. This greatly irritated the Germanator.
He had called up the Mavs front office and said he wanted to leave. But once the NBA office got a whiff of it, they did something that Nowitzki didn’t expect.
Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant had similar thought processes when it came to their careers
Two of the most loyal players wanted to leave their teams halfway into their careers; they hit a rough patch in their marriage to the team. They felt like they didn’t get the support they deserved and handed in their potential trade requests. But both times, they were vetoed, and in Dirk’s case, by giving him the MVP.
He didn’t even want it, because the ceremony happened right after the trade request and the loss to the Warriors. Who would want a trophy for being the best player after losing in the first round? To top it all off, he had to give a press conference during the second round while he was not playing in it.
He felt like the league was holding him hostage, but three years later, he would begin his only championship season.
Loyalty has no place in the NBA today – even Luka Doncic is not safe from the sack if his performances don’t live up to the expectation
Just look at Isaiah Thomas if you want to know what loyalty does to you. Not Jayson Tatum, not Luka Doncic, and not Ja Morant—nobody is safe. If their performances do not match their pay, the front office will almost certainly look to trade them.
Just look at Russell Westbrook. He’s earning about 47 million a year, and his head is on the block. LeBron James earns more than $40 million per year, and fans want him to leave as well. Currently, none of the big names are at risk, but there will come a day. A day where they all go the way of Rudy Gobert.
But if the player is as liked as Giannis, Steph, or Jokic, chances are the league will put another one in. They want to maintain parity across the league and would love to hold them in their place. Watching stars team up is not good for TRP, and they need them to collide to rile up fans.
Just look back at David Stern pulling two fast ones in Dirk’s trade and bringing Chris Paul to the Lakers. The league is a business, and the players are merely pawns.
