Dallas Mavericks: Chandler Parsons Leaving Is A Legitimate Possibility

The Dallas Mavericks face another big summer and they could potentially be in major trouble if they lose Chandler Parsons.

The Dallas Mavericks will be facing possibly their biggest summer yet once July 1 hits and the free agent rush begins. With holes in the roster and possible departures, this free agency period could make or break their future.

We know the Mavs will most likely be linked to the hottest names of the summer like Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Mike Conley, but what about the players on their own team that could leave?

This summer, Raymond Felton, David Lee, Zaza Pachulia and Charlie Villanueva will become unrestricted free agents. That right there is a big chunk of the Mavs team. A return for most of these players likely rests on what big-time free agent(s) the Mavs are able to sign.

Things get even worse when taking a look at players who will have to opportunity to opt in or out of their contracts: Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. Williams is a question mark while Nowitzki will most likely opt in. That brings us to Parsons, who could potentially be the Mavs’ most important piece for the future, should they fail to sign another superstar in July.

Before the season started, not many would have thought about the possibility of losing Parsons for the 2016-17 campaign, but as the season rolls along, more and more options are becoming likely and a new home for next season could very well become a reality.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are the most dangerous team to steal Parsons this summer. Reason being that Orlando is Parsons’ hometown team, plus they have tons of young, budding talent that is set to compete for championships in the future.

Orlando made their first major move by trading away youth (Tobias Harris) for experience (Brandon Jennings/Ersan Ilyasova) at the trade deadline. Bringing back a popular talent to add even more depth to a rising team would make a ton of sense.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets drafted Chandler Parsons back in 2011 and helped him become the star that he is today. He recently made a pretty interesting comment regarding his future and a possible return to his former team (via CBSSports.com):

"“Houston was home for me for three years. I definitely would never count that option out. I have great memories there. They have a great crowd, a great city to live in … I have nothing but respect and love for them. I would never count that out.”"

He is definitely open to going back and it’s interesting that he didn’t add anything about his current situation and making the most of his time with the Mavs. The Rockets could potentially lose Dwight Howard this summer, meaning that they would have plenty of money to offer Parsons a spot on their roster so that they don’t lose too much scoring.

Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks

Any quality free agent that hits the market is going to be recruited by the two most desperate teams in the league right now. The Lakers and Knicks are both in the market for star players as they try to return to their respective prestigious statuses. Either of these teams are a threat to sign a big free agent on the market with the history behind their franchises and the promise of fame in big cities.

While the four teams mentioned above, plus the Mavs, would be the favorites to land Parsons this summer, many more would be involved. Tim MacMahon of ESPN recently added that the Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets would all be possible landing spots for the coveted small forward gradually rising back to his old self.

Now snapping back to reality, the most likely scenario out of all of these options is that the Mavs do what it takes to keep Parsons by offering him a max contract or close to it. You can judge whether you think that would be the smartest move for the franchise at this point.

Overall, Parsons has built himself into a bigger image in Dallas than in Houston as he has certainly had more explosive games and looked like a more complete player. He finally has something to back his recruiting in the form of Mark Cuban, Rick Carlisle and a structured system, something that not many other teams have.

With that being said, if the Mavs continue their current fall through the Western Conference standings, Parsons could consider a change of scenery this summer. It’s almost a given that he will opt out of his contract to pursue more money and once he starts getting visits from other teams, he could find another destination more attractive.

Should that happen, the Mavs would be in scramble mode in an attempt to put even more new pieces around Dirk Nowitzki for what could be his final season.

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To sum everything up, Chandler Parsons decision this summer is going to be decide how the Dallas Mavericks spend their money. If he leaves, they’ll have more. If he stays, they’ll likely have significantly less than they had planned on having. It all comes down to a possible departure.