The NBA’s master recruiter will soon become the recruit. Chandler Parsons played a big part in helping lure Dwight Howard to Houston, and he was part of the Dallas Mavericks contingent that secured DeAndre Jordan last summer — until it didn’t. Parsons will now test out unrestricted free agency on his own for the first time, with ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon reporting that he will opt out of the final year of his contract despite Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s attempts to convince him otherwise:
Chandler Parsons will follow through on his plans to become a free agent despite Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s attempts to convince Parsons to opt in for the final season of his three-year, $46 million contract, sources told ESPN.com.
Opting out is a risky proposition for Parsons, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in March after battling various injuries all year. Parsons would have been set to make $16 million in the final year of his contract. If he was healthy, he would be a lock to make significantly more than that this summer, with the salary cap set to spike to at least $94 million due to the league’s new television deal.
Even if Parsons doesn’t get a significant per-year raise, given his health history, it makes sense for him to try to secure a long-term deal. The cap is set to go up again next summer, when Parsons’ contract would have run out if he’d stayed in Dallas, but he might have lost even more money if he had another year full of injuries. And after the Mavericks signed Wesley Matthews to a four-year, $70 million deal coming off a torn Achilles last summer, Parsons has to think he’ll be able to get a decent deal from somebody, even if it’s not Dallas.
Parsons won’t be the only free agent the Mavericks have to decide on. Dirk Nowitzki opted out yesterday as well (with the Warriors apparently set to make a run), and now, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports that Deron Williams is doing the same.
Deron Williams has joined Mavericks teammates Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons in notifying Dallas that he's opting for free agency July 1
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2016
Williams, like Parsons, battled injuries this season, but he had a solid year after several disappointing ones in Brooklyn. The Mavericks would probably like to bring him back at the right price, especially considering how weak the free agent point guard class is.
Regardless, Cuban is going to have some decisions to make. Maybe he’ll ask for some advice on Cyber Dust.
