Why A Chandler Parsons Departure Could Result In A Mavs Rebuild
By: Josh Clark
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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - For the first time in years, the Dallas Mavericks may finally face the inevitable.
The Mavericks chips lay in the hands of free agent small forward Chandler Parsons. Why is that? Well, let's dive in.
We know that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tried to convince Parsons to opt into the final year of his contract worth $16 million. We know Parsons declined, and will become a free agent July 1.
That's significant because as 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher has been reporting, the Mavericks don't want to pay Chandler Parsons his max value starting at $22 million.
And Fish also notes the Mavs are prepared to turn their attention from Parsons to Memphis point guard Mike Conley AND Miami center Hassan Whiteside. (Yes, we said AND.)
The hope, as Fish has said, was that the Mavericks could convince Parsons to take less money. Well, it appears that Parsons at least wants a raise as he declined his $16 million option already.
That leaves us with a $6 million a year gap. You may say, that's not that much. Well, to Dallas Mavericks franchise player Dirk Nowitzki, it is.
Something has changed in Dallas, Dirk has opted out, and Mavs management needs to act as if there is a legit threat that he could walk this time. To paraphrase Fish, Dirk is tired of sacrificing his pay while everyone else around him gets paid what they want and some (i.e. J.J. Barea, Wesley Matthews). All Dirk wants is for players to sacrifice just as he's done and is prepared to do once again if it means bringing in more talent. (Fish -- and I think the Mavs themselves -- are terming this "Shared Sacrifice.'') That's why Mark Cuban asked Parsons to opt in for the final year of his deal.
So, now what?
Parsons will most likely get a maximum contract offer from somebody (for me, I think Orlando pulls the trigger), and he'll have to make a decision between taking what the Mavericks want him to take (16-18 million per year for 5 years) or 22 million per year for 4 years with an another team.
Maybe Parsons gives Cuban one final chance to match his maximum-contract offer, and maybe Cubes decides to match it because he has no other choice. But, what if he doesn't? Your No. 1 recruiter is now gone ... but you have money to max out two big fish. How does Mike Conley AND Hassan Whiteside sound? It sounds great, but...will they really come here to play with an aging Dirk and a still recovering Wesley Matthews? Not likely.
Might that finally force Cuban's hand to rebuild? It may very well could.
That's why the Chandler Parsons negotiations hold the keys to the future of the Mavs and the future of Dirk's career in Dallas
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Mike Fisher contributed to this report
