Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki celebrated his 40th birthday just days ago but we already know he has no plans to bring his illustrious NBA career to an end anytime soon.The German has already confirmed he'll return for a 20th season next year and may even continue beyond that.That's according to top draft prospect Mo Bamba, who claims to have received an interesting promise from the Mavs big man.Dallas has the number five pick in Thursday night's draft and could potentially select the athletic center.After a workout for the team, the 20-year-old joked that Nowitzki "pinky sweared" that he'd play for three more seasons if he's drafted by the Mavericks, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic.Of course, this was largely tongue-in-cheek as it's extremely unlikely that Dirk will still be on the court until he's 42.

Looking to the future

The day he does eventually retire will be an emotional one for Mavs fans but potentially selecting Bamba could help to overcome his loss.

The big man played his college basketball for the Texas Longhorns and remaining in the state is something that hugely appeals to him.

It's time for the franchise to look to a future without their greatest ever player and will have to make full use of the draft to bring in another star.

Bamba certainly has the talent to become one of the best bigs in the league. He stands at 7'1" but has a ridiculous 7'10" wingspan.

He has all the attributes of a modern-day center as he plays on both ends of the floor and has a refined offensive game where he can mix it up with moves in the low-post as well as the ability to step out to shoot threes and mid-range jumpers.

The youngster was a monster in the paint in college for the Longhorns as he averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game.

His presence could help to ease some of the load on Nowitzki if the Mavericks are able to take him with the fifth pick.

The NBA champion could also prove to be a mentor to Bamba and help to ease his development in the league.

Last season, the veteran power forward saw his minutes drop to 24.7, which is the lowest since his rookie campaign.

It's clear that his body won't allow him to do as much as he would like and those minutes will surely diminish even further next year too.

But Bamba would happily take on that playing time and look to prove that he can also become a franchise player for the Mavs in the future. We'll find out in tonight's draft if Dallas will be his NBA home.

CLICK HERE to listen to Episode Two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein. Subscribe for all future episodes.