Dallas Mavericks: No Hard Feelings Between Parsons and Cuban

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, and former player, Chandler Parsons, did not have the discussion they each expected to have this offseason which led to both moving in different directions. Did it effect their relationship?

This offseason certainly brought a whirlwind of emotions for a number of different players and members of the organization. The Dallas Mavericks seemed primed to bring Chandler Parsons back on a big contract to be the continued future face of the franchise.

That was the believed outcome for the team until owner, Mark Cuban, made it clear that we would not be offering max money to Parsons. All of these discussions happened behind closed doors so no one can be certain what was said, but in the end, Parsons walked away and joined the Memphis Grizzlies.

This change happened over a few weeks time, but everyone was pretty sure that a Parsons/Mavericks reunion was out of play. When it was announced that Chandler Parsons was not even planning on meeting with the Mavericks once free agency opened up, people began to choose sides.

Many people were happy with the decision. Parsons was coming off of another knee surgery that cut his season short once again. His play was starting to heat up and we really wanted to see him help the team in the playoffs, but for the second straight year, it wasn’t meant to be.

After missing the only two postseasons you spent with your team and then voluntarily opting out of the final year of a previous max level contract, you’re gonna lose some support. Many hurtful things were said about Parsons and a lot of people were ecstatic about the decision to move on.

Other, however, took to bashing Mark Cuban, wondering if his head was still invested in the Mavs, asking for him to sell the team, and calling him names for choosing once again to not rebuild. Come on people, really? Trust in Cuban, no matter how outspoken he may be.

Anyways, with the obvious disconnect between the organization owned by Mark Cuban and the player that was supposed to be a star in Dallas, I can’t imagine I was the only one hoping to hear what kind of drama might ensue.

Sadly, the hopes for a juicy story of hatred and deceit were all washed away after Mark Cuban spoke to Skin Wade on his radio show in Dallas from 105.3 FM “The Fan”. Here were Cuban’s comments regarding the relationship between he and Parsons, via SportsDay:

"“I’m still good friends with Chandler. We talked about it after he signed with Memphis. We exchanged texts and stayed friends and committed to stay friends. I like him a lot but there were other things other than basketball that went into the decision. And Chandler was aware of them and he made his decision. We gave him some options and he went in a different direction. That was his choice and I respect it and again, I think he’s a great guy and I hope he has a great season other than the four games we play him.”"

Despite the parting of ways and clear disconnect in contract talks, Mark Cuban and Chandler Parsons intend to stay friends. The Mavericks went a different direction that looks like it could be great for the team while Parsons found a new home with a lot of money.

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Although it is sad to see any Mavs player leave, (excluding Lamar Odom, Rajon Rondo, and Derek Fisher), this was clearly what both the team and player thought to be best for everyone. We hope that Chandler Parsons does well in Memphis this upcoming season, just not as good as our Mavericks.