Chandler Parsons is quite fond of his old teammate Dwight Howard. He said in an interview with ESPN that he’s excited about “the opportunity to go into free agency this summer” with Howard. Parsons actually helped recruit Howard to the Houston Rockets in 2013, and it sounds like he’s trying to do it again with the Dallas Mavericks.
“I think he can still dominate the game,” Parsons told reporters Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I think he can still be a great player in this league. And I think he’s going to leave Houston, so why not come here?”
Howard has a player option for 2016 but will probably become a free agent to take advantage of a salary cap that is expected to jump over $22 million this summer. Parsons is in the same boat with his player option, but it sounds like he wants to stay in Dallas.
“Dallas is home to me,” he told reporters. “I loved it here. I came here to be a great player and to win a lot of games, and I’ve yet to do that here. So I feel that I have a lot of unfinished business here that I’d love to continue and grow into the player that I saw myself being when I signed here. The quicker we can get that done allows me to start recruiting and doing that whole thing.”
The Mavericks fought hard in the first round of the playoffs against Oklahoma City but eventually lost the series 4-1. They had to deal with a lot of injuries, including Parson’s season-ending knee injury. But if next year’s team is healthy and includes Howard, maybe Dallas is a contender.
