Update: I guess the Mavericks didn’t need until midnight.
Sam Amick of USA Today:
If Parsons’ contract is accurately reported and my math is correct, this means the Dirk Nowitzki signing is official.
Chandler Parsons and Mark Cuban might have celebrated prematurely last night.
Though Parsons and the Mavericks have reportedly agreed on terms to an offer sheet, they haven’t yet officially submitted it.
Parsons has probably signed it. There’s even video of him doing so in the club:
But Dallas hasn’t yet submitted it and started the Rockets’ 72-hour clock.
Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Why the delay?
Daryl Morey is already pressed for time. He must salvage the Omer Asik trade, finalize the Jeremy Lin trade – all to convince Chris Bosh to accept less than a max offer.
By holding off, the Mavericks are essentially doing Houston a favor. Why would they do that?
I see two non-mutually exclusive possibilities.
1. A sign-and-trade is on the table.
Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson acknowledges that’s a possibility:
The Mavericks obviously value Parsons a lot. They’re willing to pay him all that money. But do they value him enough to also relinquish an asset to ensure they get him? At some point, Parsons’ production doesn’t warrant the cost.
From the Rockets’ perspective, taking back anything more than small contracts could interfere with their pursuit of Bosh. Maybe they can snag draft picks from Dallas, but see the previous paragraph.
I can’t rule out a sign-and-trade, but there are major roadblocks.
Once Parsons signs an offer sheet, a sign-and-trade is no longer possible. It behooves Morey to prolong sign-and-trades negotiations, giving himself more time to handle everything else on his plate.
2. The Mavericks can’t yet offer Parsons his promised money.
How much is Parsons guaranteed over his three-year contract? I’ve seen slightly different numbers.
Marc Stein of ESPN called it “in excess of $45 million.” Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said “$46 million.”
We’re in the range of Parsons’ max contract, which would be $46,228,710. I’m sure rounding factors in these reports, but I have yet to see someone credibly call Parsons’ offer a “max offer.”
Anyway, prior to agreeing to terms with Parsons, Dallas reached a three-year, $30 million deal with Dirk Nowitzki and agreed to re-sign Devin Harris. Most reports list Harris’ contract as worth $9 million over three years. Price has it $12 million over three years. For now, I’ll go with $9 million.
If Nowitzki’s and Harris’ contracts are fully back-loaded, the Mavericks could offer Parsons $44,413,545. If they take the relatively painless step of renouncing Petteri Koponen – the No. 30 pick in the 2007 draft who has yet to play in the NBA – they could increase their Parsons offer to $45,680,286.
That’s right in the range of what has been reported.
However, that requires Nowitzki to sign his contract first. Signing him with bird rights is the only way he can get 7.5 percent, rather than 4.5, raises. If the Mavericks renounce Nowitzki to sign Parsons first, even with renouncing Koponen, they could offer Parsons only $44,805,401 while preserving enough room to give Nowitzki his promised $30 million.
In other words, the Mavericks must wait to finalize Nowitzki’s contract before submitting Parsons’ offer sheet. In the real world, that could take time. Nelson confirms Nowitzki has yet to sign:
And if Harris’ promised contract is actually $12 million, forget about it. Drop Parsons’ three-year salary to $42,545,286. That would mean either the reports on Parsons’ salary are really off, or the Mavericks must make other moves. I figure they’d have those contingencies arranged before offering Parsons, but they also might be giving themselves an extra day to seek better trades for their expendable players (Raymond Felton, Brandan Wright,Jae Crowder,Ricky Ledo
and Gal Mekel) than would already be in place.
If Harris is getting only $9 million, though, that aspect isn’t a worry. Officially signing Nowitzki first matters, though.
So, once the Mavericks get all their ducks in a row, then what?
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
The Rockets must figure out how everything comes together. Tonight, Dallas will likely put them on the clock to do so.
