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Dallas Mavericks: Patience In Free Agency Finally Paying Off

By Cole Mentzel

Feb 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free-throw against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free-throw against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Since the 2011 offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have been actively trying to land a superstar in free agency. In 2012 it was Deron Williams. In 2013 it was Dwight Howard. In 2014 it was Carmelo Anthony. Every summer they had a new target who, had they been signed, would have been the face of the franchise and every year, they failed to sign anyone new.

In fact, most seasons they would tear the roster down to Dirk Nowitzki and a few other players and add a whole new core to the team.

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Now throughout these years, they did sign a few good players such as Monta Ellis in 2013 (just signed a new deal with the Pacers) and Chandler Parsons but they kept going into the offseason with the same hopes and just never could end up with what they wanted.

This season, they started the summer with a new optimism that they hadn’t had in recent years. Both of the top players available, DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge, were from Dallas and had legitimate interest in coming to Dallas. They Mavs also had Chandler Parsons, who some believe the be the best recruiter in the NBA.

In the span of 24 hours, the Dallas Mavericks franchise was changed. First, they agreed to a four-year deal with Wesley Matthews, then the next day the hopes of dreams of the Mavs front office and their fans was satisfied.

They got the “big fish” they had been waiting on when word got out that DeAndre Jordan was leaving Los Angeles and heading to Dallas for a four-year, $80 million deal.

So what does this mean for the Mavs? Well it means they just got a whole lot more attractive to free agents next season when guys like Mike Conley and Kevin Durant, who apparently the Mavs believe they have a shot at, will hit the market.

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The next thing it means for the Mavs is that they can never say never about any free agent coming to their team if Chandler Parsons is helping during the recruiting process. We saw how he immediately attached himself to Jordan and never let him go until he agreed to come to Dallas, oh and by the way, he managed to persuade Wesley Matthews to tag along.

Parsons played a huge role in the 2013 offseason when he helped bring Dwight Howard to the Rockets and his recruiting skills were truly put on display again this offseason.

One more good thing about attracting a big time free agent is this: suddenly everyone else wants to join your team. J.J. Barea, who was close to agreeing to a deal with the Heat, has turned back to the Mavs and the two sides are reportedly close to agreeing.

Other insiders suggest that many free agents are starting to turn to Dallas for minimum deals so they can join a team with a nice future ahead of them.

Patience has finally payed off for this Dallas Mavericks team. They began their plan in the summer of 2011 and waited four long years for it all to come together and apparently it happened at the right time.

Mark Cuban, in a radio interview, revealed that if the Mavs had not have gotten a major free agent this summer, they would have turned to tanking, which is something I was rather shocked to hear Cuban admit.

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    • Even this season, some criticized the Mavericks for waiting two days into free agency because of all the players agreeing so fast, but the Mavericks had other plans and they showed up. Though they did miss out on a few players they had interest in, they didn’t miss out on one of the biggest free agents of the summer.

    The offseason is far from over for this team as they will now look to find a starting point guard and fill out their roster.

    Richard Jefferson, from last year’s Mavs team, agreed with the Mavs today shortly after Jordan made his decision and I expect a few others such as Amar’e Stoudemire and Charlie Villanueva could be back since the Mavs are looking for a few backup power forwards and centers.

    Even though the Mavs might not be ready to contend for a championship in the upcoming season, they made huge strides in improving their franchise. For the first time in a while, they have defense for multiple positions and they have young players ready to prove themselves.

    One thing is certain: the Dallas Mavericks have set themselves up for a successful future and all it took was a little patience.

    Next: Monta Ellis: A Look Back On His Time In Dallas

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