Could The Chandler Parsons Project be hitting the road this summer? Quite possibly, if the Orlando Magic have anything to say about it.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN is reporting on Monday that the Magic are considered “the biggest threat” to lure Parsons away from the Dallas Mavericks this offseason as they are expected to “aggressively pursue” the 27-year-old forward.
Parsons is averaging 13.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 2.5 assists per game for the Mavs this year. He came along slowly at the start of the season, working his way back from microfracture knee surgery in May, but has really turned it on since the calendar flipped to 2016.
Parsons holds a player option this summer and can hit the open market should he choose to decline it (which is almost a foregone conclusion given the prospects of a greater payday thanks to the coming cap spike).
The Magic could really use a long forward that can handle the ball in pick-and-roll sets or step out and hit a three, especially after trading incumbent small forward Tobias Harris at the deadline. For a team that has seemed to be in a permanent rebuilding phase ever since Dwight Howard left, a guy like Parsons might be the signing they need to return to the NBA’s good graces.
Dallas should still be considered the favorite to retain Parsons, however. MacMahon also reports that Parsons feels a strong sense of loyalty both owner Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki and also has a close relationship with head coach Rick Carlisle. That’s not to mention that the Mavs can pay him more money than any other suitor as the possessor of Parsons’ Early Bird rights.
But Parsons is a Casselberry, Florida native (less than 14 miles north of Orlando) and attended college at the University of Florida. Given that the Magic’s long-term future is undeniably brighter than Dallas’ and that they can dangle a max contract offer in Parsons’ grill, definitely do not rule them out.
H/T Rotoworld
