Why I Don’t Want Chandler Parsons to Stay in Dallas

With the chance of Parsons leaving Dallas up in the air, not all people want him back at the cost.

Chandler Parsons has the opportunity to opt out of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason and test the waters as an unrestricted free agent. Mavs fans are torn; some want him to return to Dallas and others would rather Mark Cuban let him leave. I, for one, side with the latter, and here’s why:

Parsons will require a large contract

In todays NBA, a mediocre player getting a max contract isn’t an abnormal sight. Parsons isn’t necessarily mediocre, yet he most certainly hasn’t proven himself capable of being a franchise player. However, there will surely be a good number of teams ready and willing to offer him the big bucks.

For Dallas to compete, we will need to offer him as much money as we can afford, and Parsons simply hasn’t earned that big a paycheck. Not to mention that having limited cap space isn’t an ideal way to lure in other big name free agents.

Chandler Parsons is Injury Prone

It doesn’t matter if he becomes the next Michael Jordan, he can’t help the team if he’s not on the court. Parsons has suffered two bad knee injuries in both of the past two seasons, and has suffered numerous other injuries in his career. On average, he has only played in 68 games a season over his time in the NBA.

Some players simply catch the injury bug, and its a hard thing to overcome. Signing anyone who has such a long injury history is a risky ordeal and in my eyes, not worth it.

Opening the door for Parsons means closing it for Justin Anderson

When Parsons went out this season with a torn meniscus, Justin Anderson stepped in and had a solid rookie season full of promise.

Anderson is a freak athlete that oozes potential, and has shown flashes of being a great shooter, defender, and rebounder. His game is a jack-of-all-trades type, he can do a little bit of everything. He has the potential to become a poor mans Kawhi Leonard.

The dilemma presented here is that Anderson and Parsons play the same position. The Mavericks have found a player with real promise that could potentially be the anchor between now and the inevitable post-Dirk era.

Keeping Parsons around would inhibit Anderson’s ability to grow as a player and heavily reduce his role in Dallas. Nothing says you’re not important like signing a player to a max contract that plays the same position as you do, in fact it shouts it. Having two good options to choose from is a good problem to have, but a problem none the less, that should be solved by completely committing to one of those players.

Next: The Biggest Surprise This Season in Dallas

Any decision Dallas makes this offseason regarding Chandler Parsons isn’t a bad one, as only the future will tell what the Mavericks should do. However, if you ask this Mavs fan, keeping him in the Big D isn’t the right call.