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Mavs' Nowitzki on pending UFA LaMarcus Aldridge: 'We'd love to have him'

Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports

Dirk Nowitzki is well aware that a star of his age, closer to the end of his Hall of Fame career than the beginning, needs help. Pending unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge could provide such assistance.

"We'd love to have him," Nowitzki said to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News of the Portland Trail Blazers' All-Star big man, who's been linked to the Mavs and San Antonio Spurs in early free agency rumors. "He's a great mid-range shooter. He plays bigger than he is on the defensive end. He's a good rebounder on both ends of the floor, and on that left block he's a beast," Nowitzki added.

Aldridge, who averaged a career-high 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in his ninth season with the Blazers this year, was long expected to re-sign in Portland. Recent reports, however, have hinted at the increasing possibility of the four-time All-Star fleeing Oregon for his home state of Texas.

The Mavs have the requisite cap space to secure a maximum-level talent this summer, and Nowitzki, who took a significant hometown discount as a free agent last year, understands that improvements are necessary after a second consecutive first-round exit from the postseason.

"I know that, at 37, I can't be the No. 1 option if we want to play for the championship," Nowitzki told Sefko. "That's how the cycle goes. Really, if you look at our roster, we only got four or five guys, so we got a lot of work to do. We need a little bit of everything."

Dirk, forward Chandler Parsons, and guard Devin Harris are the only Mavs with guaranteed contracts on the books next season, with Monta Ellis, Raymond Felton, and Al-Farouq Aminu each holding player options worth a combined $13.8 million.

Ellis and Aminu are expected to opt out of their contracts to explore free agency, while the Mavs are reportedly interested in trading Felton.

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