Dallas Maverick’s All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki will join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Joe Johnson as an NBA free agent this summer, while Yao Ming will stay with the Houston Rockets.

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Nowitzki, Dallas’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder, reportedly notified the Mavericks that he is opting out of the final year and $21.5 million on his existing contract.

“(Nowitzki) is our No. 1 priority—period,” Nelson said. “We know what we hope will happen,” Nelson said. “Come July 1, all kinds of unknowns may enter.”

Nowitzki is a 32-year-old NBA MVP who has yet to win an NBA title. He’s said many times that winning it all for another team wouldn’t mean as much as doing it in Dallas, and this could be a chance to do his part off the court.

“It’s a very odd, weird, strange time,” Nelson said. “If there’s anything good about this process, it’s as someone goes through it, the thing that comes out is what is really important to them—whether it’s location, money, winning, those types of things. Those things really, really come out.”

Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center for the Houston Rockets said Tuesday that he has exercised his player option for the 2010-11 NBA season, the last year of his contract. Yao was forced to sit out last season after reconstructive foot surgery and said he wanted to see how the injury healed before making a decision. Yao said he’s resumed basketball activities and should be 100% once training camp begins.