Cleveland, Dallas Want Parsons If They Miss Out On Superstars

Movement of big-name free agents likely won’t continue until LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony make their respective decisions. And if the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks miss out on LeBron and Carmelo, respectively, each already has a contingency plan – going after Houston Rockets restricted free agent Chandler Parsons.

The Cavaliers have a legitimate chance to bring LeBron back to Cleveland, and just assured they’d have the cap space to do so by shedding salary in a three-team trade. Several reports have indicated that the Cavs made the move regardless of LeBron’s status, though, in an attempt to acquire any player that would command a lucrative contract. Rumors have Cleveland still involved in the Kevin Love sweepstakes and reportedly chasing Trevor Ariza if James re-signs in Miami, but they apparently have eyes for Parsons in that scenario, too.

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Dallas, meanwhile, is a long-shot for Anthony given his preference to re-sign with the New York Knicks or play for the Los Angeles Lakers or Chicago Bulls. It makes sense for the Mavericks to maintain flexibility until the dust finally settles with Anthony, James, and even Chris Bosh, however, as their destinations will help decide the motives of teams they spurn. Once that happens, don’t be surprised when they make an aggressive play for Parsons, too.

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Teams have been reluctant to offer Parsons a contract because of the assumption that Houston will simply match any sheet he signs. But a wily organization might be best served by getting him to sign a max contract offer tomorrow once the moratorium on transactions ends, forcing the Rockets to decide between using their cap space to retain Parsons and keeping options open with a star like Bosh. Houston’s ultimate goal is to bring a marquee player aboard while re-signing Parsons, and that strategy by a competing team would make attaining that dream more difficult.

But that’s a double-edged sword, too. The team that signs Parsons to an offer sheet would have its cap space tied-up for 72 hours while the Rockets decide whether or not to match its contract offer. With the tide likely to move so, so quickly once the biggest dominoes fall, that’s a risk many franchises would obviously rather not take.

Regardless, Parsons seems primed for a pay-day. The question now is from which organization it will come.

Would Parsons be a good fit in Cleveland or Dallas?

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