Mavs Sign Nowitzki, 3 Others

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 21, 1999 / 7:29 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

German forward Dirk Nowitzki became the initial first-round pick to sign with an NBA team, Thursday signing a three-year deal with a club option for a fourth season.

The Mavericks also signed both of their second-round picks -- forward Ansu Sesay of Mississippi and guard Greg Buckner of Clemson -- and re-signed forward Ace Custis, who missed all of his 1997-98 rookie season with a torn right ACL.

As the ninth overall pick in the 1998 draft, the 20-year-old Nowitzki will collect $1.23 million this season and 5 percent increases in each of the next two seasons. Should the Mavericks pick up the option, Nowitzki would receive $1.687 million for the 2001-02 season.

Nowitzki was drafted by Milwaukee, then traded to Dallas with the rights to rookie forward Pat Garrity for the rights to forward Robert Traylor, whom the Mavericks selected with the sixth pick.

The 6-11 Nowitzki captured global attention at the Final Four weekend last March, when he totaled 33 points, 14 rebounds and three steals in Germany's victory over the United States in an international junior game.