Houston Rockets Asked Dallas Mavericks About Trading Dirk Nowitzki


Mark Cuban received a text message this past summer from the Houston Rockets — they wanted to know if the Mavericks would consider trading Dirk Nowitzki. Per the Dallas Morning News and Star-Telegram: “They didn’t make an official offer,’ Cuban said. ‘They just asked if we’d trade him. About three hours after Dwight (Howard) signed. It’s just something rivals do.’ Did Cuban take it as the Rockets sort of rubbing his face in the fact that they got Howard in free agency and the Mavericks didn’t? ‘Definitely, and I don’t blame them,’ he said. ‘That’s fine. But payback is a bitch. I kept the text. They called Donnie (Nelson) and I said: are you sure? Have them text me. And I kept the text. Now, I’ve brought it on the record just to have some fun with it now that we’ve played them twice we can help them sell tickets next time. I think they need help. Just to build the rivalry up.’ […] ‘It was like ‘na-na-na-na-na’ I don’t know if there were two nas in there or three. But they were in there. I said, are you serious? But no expletives. They don’t carry as much weight via text.’ […] ‘I wasn’t really worried about it, to be honest,” Nowitzki said after Friday’s 103-93 win over Utah. ‘I guess it stays longer in Cuban’s mind. To me it was kind of in and out. We were frustrated at the time, but then I think we made some great moves and signed Jose (Calderon) first and obviously Monta (Ellis) and all the rest of the gang … I didn’t even think twice about it and kind of moved along my way,’ Nowitzki said. ‘But I guess Cuban doesn’t forget that easily.'”