FRISCO -- Jason Terry will be 39 when next season begins, but he has no intentions of drifting away into retirement.

Terry said Thursday that he wants to play for two more seasons and then dive headfirst into either the coaching or management end of basketball.

And yes, he would very much consider a return to the Mavericks, where he had many of the best years of his career, including the 2011 championship.

"Not retiring at all," Terry said. "Just looking for another opportunity to get back on a contender. But if that opportunity doesn't present itself, still being able to go in and have an impact in the locker room on the younger players and provide quality minutes off the bench. My body feels great. My mind is still sharp."

And as for the Mavericks?

"If the opportunity presents itself then yes, but if it doesn't, then I have to explore my options," he said. "My home base is here in Dallas."

Terry took the short drive from his North Dallas home to Dr Pepper Ballpark on Thursday to take a few hacks in the batting cage in preparation for Dirk Nowitzki's Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game on Friday night. A limited number of tickets remained as of Thursday afternoon.

Terry and a lot of other athletes were like fish out of water trying to hit batting-practice pitches.

As for becoming a free-agent on July 1, Terry said he'll weigh all his options, but he wants his destination to include a special perk.

"In preparing for my post-playing career, I want to be able to shadow the coach and shadow the GM," Terry said. "That's important to me."

Terry will be entering his 18th NBA season. He is one of the few players in the league older than Nowitzki, who will turn 38 on June 19.