Yahoo Ranks Chandler Parsons 5th Best Free Agent SF

After news broke on Tuesday about Chandler Parsons looming season ending knee surgery, people across the NBA naturally turned their attention to his summer free agency.

Two summers ago Dallas signed Parsons to a 3 year, $46 million dollar deal that included a player option for the third year. Now, two years later, Parsons finds himself entering the summer of his third season in Dallas with the choice of opting out of that year and testing free agency.

But his time in Dallas hasn’t worked out like he thought it would have. Parsons has had two season ending knee surgeries both years that has resulted in 41 games missed and one playoff game. Not including all of the minute restrictions and easing back to normal that took place the first half of this season.

So now Parsons and Dallas enters the summer facing a unique situation as Parsons will most likely seek a max contract and Dallas will decide whether to give it to him or not. But what are the other small forward free agents available this summer?

Yahoo Sports NBA guru, Bobby Marks, published his small forward free agent guide to the offseason a few days ago. Read full guide here.

Obviously the whole free agent (and small forward) class is headlined by Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Now we all know the odds of Durant or James making their way to Dallas is about the same as Rondo’s jersey getting retired in the AAC. So now the attention turns to the next tier of small forwards. Marks ranks them in this order.

3.) Nicolas Batum

4.) Harrison Barnes

5.) Chandler Parsons

He mentions how Batum is in the prime of his career and the second best option on a Charlotte team that is exceeding expectations. Barnes is a unique situation that has been discussed on this site before, but does pose a James Harden type of risk for a team that steals him from under the champs three all-stars.

So what does he say about Chandler Parsons?

“Insider info: With news of his season ending because of right-knee surgery, Parsons’ agent will need to do his homework before opting out of his contract. Found his groove midseason, when his minute restrictions were lifted. Second option on a playoff team, but teams will need the blessing of their medical staffs before pursuing.”

Most people, including most Mavs fans, personally view Parsons as a better option than both Batum and Barnes in free agency, but it looks like the league might think otherwise. Health will obviously play a huge role come the summer but having two knee surgeries by the age of 27 might be alarming to some organizations.

Next: Back to the Basics for the Mavs

Take that for what you want, but it seems as though the injury history will be on people’s minds. Injury history or not, would you still put Batum and/or Barnes over Parsons? This seems like a debate that is here to stay until the summer.