Who Gets Dirk?

            It is no secret who will be the league's greatest free agent prize this offseason. And just in case you don't know......it's that guy up there. Dirk Nowitzki is undoubtedly one of the league's best players. Last year he started all 82 games for the lowly Chicago Bulls and averaged 48% from the field, 44% from beyond the arc, and an amazing 92% from the free throw line. He ended up averaging 13.7 PPG and 8.2 RPG. And he did all of this as a center! Did I mention that Dirk is versatile? He is a prototypical stretch four who can play a bit of small forward and even center in a pinch. Dirk is the complete package! And just look at that low, low price!!!

                All of this begs the question: Who Gets Dirk?!? While there are still some who believe that Dirk's entire foray into free agency is simply a ploy (to be explored later in this article!) , it is of popular opinion that he will opt to play for a new team next season. Now that the re-signing period is over it is a little clearer who will really have a shot at this year's grand prize. Currently there are ten teams who have the available cap space to take a shot at Dirk; and it is very likely that all ten will submit bids for the free agent. Below we will look at just a few of the places Nowitzki may land. Specifically we will explore where he will be the Best Fit, where he will be Most Needed, and who really has the Best Shot.

Best Fit

The Chicago Bulls could still conceivably retain their star, and as hinted at above there are a few who believe this is what will happen. After last year's debacle, there is no doubt that Dirk would need some assurances that the team was going to make an honest attempt to improve before returning. So far the Bulls have added a true center in Andrew Bogut in order to appease Dirk's demands to move back to the power forward position and have added Taj Gibson in order to spell Dirk and add rebounding and toughness to their roster. And let's not forget the trade at the end of last season, before the draft, bringing in Steph Curry. Curry is the exact type of player Dirk should want to play alongside. The Bulls have seemingly been built just for Dirk. So, can the Bulls bring back Dirk?!?!

The Raptors have just enough space to go after one top tier guy, and it might just be Dirk. The team currently has Anderson Varejao slated to start at power forward, but there is no doubt that Dirk would be an upgrade. Starting next to Marc Gasol, with the likes of the aforementioned Varejao and Gorgui Dieng backing them up, the Raptors would seem to have one of the better, deeper frontcourts in the league. With the trade the sent away Kevin Durant the Raptors lost a star and an elite scorer, but with Dirk in the fold they would regain both in an instant. And he would be surrounded with the talent that was brought in from the Durant trade, creating a much more round squad.  But can the Raptors convince him to come North of the Border?

Most Needed

The Pistons need a guy like Dirk the most. While this team is rebuilding and have lots of young players, they have a fairly sound lineup. However, there are two positions at which they need a bit of help and one of those just happens to be at the power forward position. Next to Jonas Valanciunas at center, Dirk would fit quite well. And with Waiters at SG and Trey Burke at PG, the team would only need to find a SF, or pray for Bennett to begin looking worthy of that high draft pick last year, in order to round out a fairly formidable starting five. But in order for this complete picture to play out, the team would need a guy like Dirk to come to the Motor City. They will  need to convince him that this is where he is needed most.

Even after they bring back Gordon Hayward, the Wizards will still be able to make a run at Dirk. And while they do have two guys who can play the power forward position well for them, they are also in a position where Dirk would inevitably be an upgrade to their overall talent level. I'm sure a guy like Jared Sullinger wouldn't mind another year at center in order to accommodate Nowitzki, and the Wiz shouldn;t worry about that either.  Washington, like the Bulls, gambled last year and lost. This year they can gamble on Nowitzki, but at least there is less to lose here. Netting him would instantly upgrade their squad, even if it required them to move some things around to ready for his arrival.

Best Shot

The  Celtics would be another good fit, but this team looks like they have the best shot at Dirk in addition to being a great landing spot. The Celts have plenty of GM points (with 93 total) and plenty of cap space (just over $20 M) to go after several big name guys. Just given those facts alone they have an better chance than most of landing Nowitzki. Not all of the ten teams that have space today will by the time Dirk comes up for bidding, but the Celtics will! I give them the best chance of success. Teamed with Kevin Durant, the Celtics would be poised to become one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league.

Dark Horse

The Knicks have the cap space, but currently have so many bigs that Kenneth Faried is slotted in at the SF position. Dirk would look better there, huh? I mean, don't get me wrong, any other traditional small forward would look good there (and there are some good options out there), but Dirk would look good there, too, wouldn't he? And I would not put it past the Knicks to somehow find a way to make room for a man like Dirk. Because, well, who wouldn't? With a talent-laden squad it will be tough for the Knicks to make Dirk feel like "the man" here, but that wouldn't be the point. For this they would have to prove to Dirk they are going for it all, and could get there!

The Cavaliers do not currently have the cap space available to make a run at Nowitzki, but I would not count these guys out! The team needs only shed one contract to be able to make a bid, and that may not be too tough to do. Oh, and did I mention the team has a whopping 99 GM Pts to spend this season as well? Unfortunately for the Knicks, above, the Cavs can offer everything they can, and more! As a team attempting yet another title, if Dirk does opt to join LeBron in Cleveland they would once again be strong favorites to win the Eastern Conference and the league championship.