Dallas Mavericks: Why Won’t Stars Come to Dallas?

It’s never too early to look ahead at free agency for the Dallas Mavericks, but in doing so the question is raised: why don’t star players want to come to Dallas?

Its been a while since the Mavericks landed a superstar. With the exception of Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks have become a rehab location for aging veterans. The concept itself theoretically makes sense. Surround young up and coming stars (insert Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews) with aging, near retirement players and maybe you get lucky enough to have a quality team dynamic. But so far, this has only paid off once for the Mavericks, and that was five years ago…

Dallas doesn’t lack for money, owned by a man who prides himself in locker room renovations, pricey jets, and first class hotels. Mark Cuban is very much a players’ owner. Yet despite these nice luxuries, the Mavericks remain in a star drought, a seemingly undesired destination in NBA free agency.

So what is it that could be holding the Mavericks front office back? After the DeAndre Jordan debacle this summer, Cuban and his counterparts made it obvious that it isn’t an issue of finances, but something much greater.

As a Dallasite, I am biased about our fine city, but I am also perplexed. The Mavericks have a quality fan base, Dallas itself has a phenomenal economy and is not short on night life or things to do, but still Dallas remains a barren wasteland when it comes to all-stars.

To give you some perspective, according to basketball.realgm.com, the Mavericks have had 18 All-Stars since 2000-01, of those 18, Dirk Nowitzki has been the Mavericks representative 13 times. Why is this number relevant? Because it reveals just how desperately Dallas needs an All-Star other than Nowitzki.

In the last five years the Mavericks have pursued and lost out on five key free agents, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and Jordan. While some might debate whether or not any of these players would have been a good investment by the Mavericks, Dallas was still unable to woo any All-Stars.

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And the question still remains, why? Poor free agent market? Luckier suitors? Not enough money?

In 2014, the Mavericks were able to pry Chandler Parsons away from the Houston Rockets, but that came with a price that many experts considered too high and with Parsons on the cusp of being the next All-Star in Dallas or leaving during free agency, the Mavericks’ All-Star future hangs precariously in the balance.

The Mavericks might have outsmarted themselves with Parsons, but hopefully some of Nowitzki’s team loyalty will wear off on him, or maybe it will encourage him to return home to Orlando. Either way, the Mavericks remain a retirement center of sorts that is in desperate need of renovation.

Next: Parsons Talks Free Agency, Carlisle, and Dirk

And so the question has yet to be answered, why can’t we land an All-Star, and how much longer will we have to wait for another one?