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With all eyes on big-name free agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this summer, not many people are paying much attention to some of the other big fish that will be available on the free agent market and now two more franchise players have put their name in the free agent pool.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Dallas Mavericks superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki ever since the Mavs were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. It has become apparent that the Mavs just might not have what it takes to compete with the best of the best in the Western Conference and as a result they may be on the verge of shaking up their roster once again.

Obviously, not many people expect Mavs owner Mark Cuban to parts ways with his superstar just yet or pursue any kind of trade for the sharp shooter, but Dirk has made a surprising move by opting out of his contract, leaving $21.5 million dollars on the table to become a free agent starting July 1st.

Reportedly, the consensus is that Dirk Nowitzki will not be going anywhere as he will simply sign a new deal with the Dallas Mavericks, but with so much talent available this summer, the German forward could be involved in a sign-and-trade deal.

Along with Dirk Nowitzki, Boston Celtics leading scorer Paul Pierce will also opt out of his contract and leave $21.5 million dollars on the table. This is also a surprising move, especially since Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has just announced that he will return next season, but like Dirk, Pierce’s intentions will most likely be to get more money instead of wanting to change teams.

Even though both of these NBA superstars will almost certainly re-sign with their current teams, anything can happen in the NBA offseason and certain sign-and-trade scenarios could be on the horizon for the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks.