Rick Carlisle Close To 5-Year Extension With Dallas Mavericks: Report

One of the longest tenured head coaches for a single NBA team is close to signing a five-year contract extension with his current team. Rick Carlisle, who has been with the Mavericks as head mentor since April 2008, is reportedly in advanced talks for a new deal with the Texas team.

ESPN reported the probable deal and confirms both sides are "nearing an agreement" on the long-term contract.

Only Gregg Popovich has a longer stint with a single NBA franchise, being the head coach for the San Antonio Spurs since 1996, or nearly two decades with a single team. Eric Spoelstra of the Miami Heat is tied for second place with Carlisle as both coaches have handled their respective teams for seven straight seasons.

If finalized, the new deal will be Carlisle’s second contract extension with the Mavericks after signing a four-year deal in 2012, a year after leading Dallas to the franchise’s first-ever championship.

Carlisle, who had head coaching stints with the Detroit Pistons (2001 to 2003) and Indiana Pacers (2003 to 2007) before landing the job in Dallas, has a career win-loss record of 619-431 (58.9 percent winning percentage) in the regular season and 57-58 (49.6 percent winning percentage) in the postseason.

Carlisle will be handling a Mavericks squad that is in rebuilding mode for the next few seasons. The team is still with 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, who will be entering his 18th NBA season, but will have new potential franchise players in 27-year-old Chandler Parsons and 29-year-old Wesley Matthews, both under contract in the next few years with Dallas.

The Mavericks went 0-7 in the current preseason games and will open their season against the Phoenix Suns Wednesday.