Dirk Nowitzki Confirms He'll Return to Mavericks for 21st Season in NBA

Dirk Nowitzki just finished his 20th season in the NBA, but he doesn't intend to retire quite yet.

"I'm planning on coming back," the Dallas Mavericks forward said Tuesday in reference to next season, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

Nowitzki has a $5 million team option for 2018-19, per Spotrac.

The 39-year-old underwent season-ending ankle surgery Thursday, but the procedure was "considered relatively minor," according to McMahon.

Nowitzki started all 77 games he played in this season, although his production dropped significantly. He averaged 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, both of which were his lowest averages since his rookie season in 1998-99.

While the Big German is firmly in the twilight of his career, he's one of the best players from his era and is a surefire Hall of Famer whenever he does retire. The 13-time All-Star and 2006-07 MVP leads all active players with 31,187 career points, which puts him sixth all time. He could potentially pass Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Michael Jordan (32,292) next season.

He is also second among active players with 11,331 rebounds, trailing only Dwight Howard.

Despite his recent downtick in output, he could be worth the price for Dallas next season as a veteran leader who can still score and knock down outside shots. Considering the Mavericks are just 24-57 this season, it's unlikely they will be back in playoff contention by 2018-19 regardless.

Keeping Nowitzki for another season would be a safe move with little downside.