Dallas Mavericks forwards Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki will opt-out of their current contracts and become unrestricted free agents this summer, according to reports.
Chandler Parsons has already stated he intends on opting out, Eddie Sefko of dallasnews.com relays:
Chandler Parsons already has said he will exercise his option to become a free agent this summer.
Parsons, 27, will test the market in hopes of landing a big pay-day this summer. Whether the Dallas Mavericks are willing to meet his requests have yet to be seen, however.
Last month, Chandler Parsons said he will not rule out a return to the Houston Rockets. While Parsons recently made a recruitment pitch to friend Dwight Howard, it is entirely possible that the exact opposite happens should Howard re-sign with Houston. But according to reports, Dwight Howard is expected to leave the franchise over the summer when he himself becomes a free agent. Should Howard leave, the possibility of Parsons returning to Houston would obviously decrease.
Chandler Parsons was drafted at the #38 selection overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. Parsons averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and shot 42% from behind the arc per game in 61 appearances with the Mavericks season. Despite undergoing knee surgery and missing the postseason this year, Parsons is expected to return before training camp begins.
Parsons’ teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, plans to follow in his foot steps.
The Mavericks’ franchise icon said Monday on a local radio show that he will opt out of the final year of his contract, but reiterated what he’s said all along: He has no intentions of playing anywhere but Dallas for the rest of his career.
“We had one more year on the contract, but I think this is the right thing to do,” he said on The Ticket (1310 AM). “We’ll sit down with Mark [Cuban] and Donnie [Nelson] in the next few weeks and figure out how to improve this franchise. There’s some moving to do. We’ll put our heads together in the next few weeks. This was just one move that hopefully starts a chain reaction for us to get better and really compete at a high level.”
Nowitzki, like Deron Williams and Chandler Parsons, had the option to play out next season or opt out. He was due a little over $8 million next season. The likely scenario is that he re-signs for another two seasons, perhaps with an opt-out after next season, at similar money.
As for leaving the Mavericks? He was adamant, as he has been before, that nothing has changed. He doesn’t want to go anywhere, and it’s been that way since he won the championship in 2011.
Dirk Nowitzki, 37, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks at the #9 overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft. After being dealt to Dallas in a draft night deal, Nowitzki has spent his entire career with the Mavericks, a career that included a 2011 NBA Championship and a 2006 NBA Finals appearance with Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and shot 37% from behind the arc in 75 appearances with Dallas this season.
Expect Dirk Nowitzki to return with Dallas for a final stint, and for Chandler Parsons to scour the free agent landscape for the best suitable deal available.
UPDATE (6/21/16):
Dirk Nowitzki has officially opted out of his deal with the Mavs and he will become a free agent on July 1st, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
ESPN sources say that Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki officially opted out of his contract today and will indeed become a free agent July 1
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 21, 2016
Nowitzki faced a Wednesday deadline to make his opt-out call. LeBron James, by contrast, has until June 29 to make his free agency decision.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 21, 2016
UPDATE (6/22/16): Chandler Parsons has officially joined Dirk in opting out, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
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. With the salary cap spiking to a projected $94 million this summer, Parsons’ camp expects him to receive a significant raise in free agency.
