Mavericks president Donnie Nelson going to Germany to try re-signing Nowitzki

Mavs boss going to Germany to try keeping Dirk

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks president Donnie Nelson is planning to be in Germany for the start of free agency to show Dirk Nowitzki how sincere the club is about keeping its all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Nowitzki technically still has to opt out of the final year of his existing contract to become a free agent, but the Mavericks were expecting to receive formal word as soon as Tuesday.

Nelson has already booked a flight that will have him overseas at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday — or, 6:01 a.m. in Germany. He says retaining Nowitzki “is our No. 1 priority — period.”