The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

Five restricted free agents for the Dallas Mavericks to target

By Kohl Rast

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 20: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets plays defense against the Golden State Warriors in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 20, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 20: Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets plays defense against the Golden State Warriors in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 20, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 26: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks runs across the court in the first quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jabari Parker
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 26: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks runs across the court in the first quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jabari Parker /

Jabari Parker

Next on the list, I have the oft-injured forward from Milwaukee who is full of potential but just can’t stay on the court. If Dallas were able to pull Parker away for the right price, they could be getting a bargain deal for a guy that could potentially be a game changer sometime down the road.

Parker played his college ball at Duke where he led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks. He played all 35 games during the season and far outshone his NBA teammates, Rodney Hood and Quinn Cook. He was selected 2nd overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, just after Andrew Wiggins and before Joel Embiid.

His skillset is evident every time he is on the court. In fact, in his third season, he averaged 20.1 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. His shooting percentages are serviceable with a slash line of .490/.352/.747 for his career up to this point.

Parker would give the Mavs a nice option for a stretch four and would push the offense even more. His injury history is concerning, but we have seen the Mavs training staff work miracles with some guys coming in with injury concerns. I think that if any team were to make sense for Parker, the Mavs should be on that list.

The nice thing about Parker is that he would immediately fit into the system and would not have much problem fighting with others for playing time. With Luka, Dennis and Barnes all taking some focus away from him, he may be able to thrive as well as he did next to Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.