Free agent big man Kelly Olynyk has spent time in San Antonio and has worked out with his former Spurs teammates this offseason, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (video link).

Noting that Olynyk was a positive locker room presence last season, Siegel says he wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran forward/center ends up re-signing with the Spurs as their 15th man, though he may have to be willing to wait until during the season if that’s the plan. San Antonio is currently just $2.15MM away from the luxury tax line and would become a projected taxpayer by signing a free agent to a minimum-salary contract, which would carry a cap hit of about $2.45MM.

The Spurs would be able to sign a 15th man while staying below the tax as of November 11, though the front office may not be in a rush to do so immediately. The club could also decide to operate slightly above the tax line by carrying a 15th man into the regular season, then make a move before the trade deadline to duck back below that threshold.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

• Dirk Nowitzki pulled back from his involvement with the Mavericks during Nico Harrison’s time in the front office, having reportedly disagreed with several decisions the team made during that time, most notably the trade of Luka Doncic. However, he said during a DLLS Mavs podcast appearance (Twitter video link) that he’s had “discussions” with new team president Masai Ujiri about the possibility of returning to the Mavs in some capacity. “Of course, I have my job as an analyst (for Amazon Prime) and FIBA, I’m on the board, so I travel a ton,” Nowitzki said. “So there’s nothing really imminent in the near future. But I’ll always be a Maverick for life and I’d love to be around — and maybe one day even come around more and more, and maybe even have some input at some point. … We’ll see what the future still holds.”
• Making a radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, new Mavericks head coach Dusty May said he’s been “blown away” by what he’s seen in workouts from Kyrie Irving, who is making his return this season from an ACL tear. “We all know how talented Kyrie is with the ball in his hands,” May said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “But to see his level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ, it’s something that I’ve never seen at the level that he works at. And I can’t wait for him to share that with the rest of our group, especially the young core that we have.”
• Because the Mavericks and Rockets will face one another for a pair of exhibition games in Macao during the preseason, they’ll be permitted to open their training camps nearly a week before the rest of the league. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links), Houston is scheduled to host its media day on September 22, while Dallas plans to do so on Sept. 25.