With ample salary cap space and a restless owner in Mark Cuban who always explores every possible angle to make his team better, the Dallas Mavericks are one of the teams who are on the move this summer of the 2014 NBA free agency, immediately pursuing available free agents on Monday night.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, a household name when it comes to NBA rumors, the Mavs contacted Houston Rockets restricted free agent forward Chandler Parsons immediately on July 1 - the starting date for teams to make verbal agreements to free agents.
"Dallas calls on RFA Chandler Parsons, and make no mistake: If Mavs miss on 'Melo, they'll be aggressive in pursuit of Parsons, sources say," Wojnarowski said.
The 25 year old Parsons is a versatile swing man who averaged averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He is clearly an ideal fit to a Mavs team who relies on an aging Shawn Marion to perform the small forward duties.
With his all-around game, Parsons can take the Mavs already superb offense to an even higher level. He is also an underrated defender and can improve further in the area with his length and athleticism.
Chandler Parsons became restricted free agent on July 1 when the Houston Rockets chose to decline the swingman's fourth-year option on his rookie contract. And with the salary cap problems that Houston is facing right now in their attempt to lure Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James, Dallas can take advantage of the situation and steal Parsons away from the Rockets.
If Houston manages to land a super star like Melo or James this offseason, then Dallas will more likely offer Parsons a contract that the Rockets simply cannot match. They can choose to match, actually, but they will have to face harsh luxury tax penalties in return and I doubt the Rockets owner would want that.
If the Mavs fail to land LeBron or Melo, which is likely to happen, then look for them to pull the trigger on Chandler Parsons. The Rockets forward is a solid plan B and the Mavs will surely take him in a heart beat if the situation arises.
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