Hoping to make a splash in free agency while also addressing two big needs on their roster, the Dallas Mavericks will reportedly focus on signing both Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside this offseason. If the Mavs are able to sign both players, Dallas won’t have enough cap space to re-sign Chandler Parsons, who recently opted out of his contract.
Which is why Parsons is focusing on listening to other teams this summer and may not re-sign with the Mavs.
From ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
Parsons eagerly anticipates exploring his options in free agency as the Mavericks plan to prioritize other targets, sources told ESPN, although a return to Dallas remains a possibility.
The Mavs, according to sources, remain interested in keeping Parsons if they aren’t able to convince Conley and/or Whiteside to come to Dallas. However, the Mavs have made it clear to Parsons that they do not intend to offer him a max contract to keep him after his first two seasons in Dallas ended prematurely due to surgeries on his right knee.
Parsons has been injured a lot in Dallas but with the rising salary cap, he will likely get a max contract this summer. He could be worth it too. Parsons remains a versatile player and a strong scorer with a devastating pump fake.
But Dallas is apparently fine with not re-signing Parsons. They want Conley and Whiteside and MacMahon reports that they will shift Justin Anderson to the starting lineup if they are able to sign both free agents. MacMahon also reports that the Mavs will pursue Kent Bazemore, Evan Turner, Marvin Williams and Evan Fournier, all players that play the same position as Parsons.
It is interesting that Dallas isn’t choosing to reward Parsons for being one of the Mavs’ biggest proponents. Parsons took it upon himself to be the free agent recruiter for the Mavs and nearly got DeAndre Jordan to sign in Dallas last summer. Obviously Dallas is looking at Parsons’ injury history, which isn’t great.
Dallas made a similar decision when Steve Nash was a free agent and he ended up becoming an even better player once he moved to the Suns. Perhaps something similar could happen with Parsons — minus, you know, the back-to-back MVP awards.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
