The NBA’s free agency period begins just a week after the NBA Draft. On July 1, NBA fans will finally see what the Brooklyn Nets will do with their projected $30-40 million in cap space. One option is Chandler Parsons.
There’s many big names on the market, but as far as unrestricted free agents go, there’s a wing player the Brooklyn Nets can sign that would make Brooklyn fans happy. That player is current Dallas Maverick starting small forward Chandler Parsons
Chandler Parsons is a very solid piece and can be a nice pickup for a Nets team looking to add some small core pieces instead of signing just one big name to a max deal, similar to what the Portland Trail Blazers did last offseason after losing 4 out of their 5 starters.
With many big free agents and all-stars hitting the market, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Al Horford, teams may tend to focus more on those names instead of other valuable free agents like Parsons. This would allow a team like the Nets to swoop in and sign him.
It was announced Wednesday that Parsons would decline his player option, opting out of the final year of his contract thus making him an unrestricted free agent.
Just like any unrestricted free agent, it won’t be very easy for the Nets to court a player like Parsons, who is coming off two seasons with Dallas. He didn’t play nearly as well as he did with Houston. Do the Nets have the ability to catch the attention of Parsons?
The Nets, who are in need of a solid wing player, should offer some sort of contract to Parsons. I would advise Brooklyn not to overpay and take a risk on Parsons, but with a rising salary cap, anything is possible in terms of contracts.
Parsons didn’t put up terrible numbers in his two seasons with Dallas, averaging 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his first season, and 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his second year. However, his averages declined from the 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists he averaged in his final season with Houston. The decline has much to do with the many injuries he suffered while playing in Dallas, which should make Sean Marks cautious. If Marks chooses to pursue Parsons, he must keep in mind his durability, making him a risk.
Parsons has shown when he can stay healthy and on the court he can be a quality player for a team or even a contender. He could help any team that is looking for some help out on the wing. His ability to be a scrappy and good defender, as well as being able to shoot from the three-point line, makes him very enticing.
Another stat that you can look at is that the amount of games he played and the amount of minutes he averaged while in Dallas. Parsons only played 127 games in his two seasons with Dallas opposed to the 150 he played with Houston in his final two seasons as a Rocket. A 23 game difference might not seem like a lot but it is something to take a look at.
As far as minutes go, Parson’s minutes were down, most likely because of minute restrictions after his returns from injuries, but he still only played 29.5 minutes per game in this previous season in Dallas, which is a little more than 8 minutes less than he played in his final season with the Rockets as he played 37.6 minutes in the 2013-14 season.
The Nets are going to need some help and depth out on the wing, plain and simple. They cannot firmly put the pressure out there on sophomore swing-man Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. With Parsons hitting the free agent market on July 1, one must think the Nets will at least try to offer Parsons a deal.
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Whether the Nets offer Parsons a deal or not, one thing is for sure, the Nets are lacking depth out on the wing and could use all the help they can get.