NBA Rumors: Mavericks ready to offer Marc Gasol max contract?
By Josh Hill
Marc Gasol is one of the top free agents in the NBA this summer, and the Dallas Mavericks might be jockeying for position when it comes to signing him to a big deal.
When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Rajon Rondo this season, it was a moment that had the franchise thinking they were headed in one direction but sent them spiraling in the other direction. Instead of making a run like the late 2000s Boston Celtics, the Mavericks crashed and burned in the first round of the postseason as Rondo checked out completely.
That was a bad experience for Mark Cuban when it comes to paying a superstar player, but it won’t deter him from spending this summer to make his team a contender. With the rival Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, Cuban could be going after a big name big man.
According to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com, the Dallas Mavericks are among the latest teams to be preparing an offer for free agent-to-be Marc Gasol.
"The San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks all are developing proposals to present to Gasol when the free-agency recruiting period opens July 1, according to multiple league sources."
The Grizzlies want to keep Gasol by any means necessary — but does that mean at any cost. There is no doubt that Gasol will be a max contract player on the open market, and Memphis can offer him the most years at the highest dollar amount.
But is the prospect of winning soon in Memphis stronger than the potential to win now in markets like San Antonio, Los Angeles or New York?
Dallas seems to be a perfect fit for Gasol, as every once in a while Mark Cuban is able to grab a top free agent and make him work in his system. It doesn’t always work out, as the Steve Nash era ended without any titles and the Monta Ellis era has resulted in just a few first round exists.
But grabbing players like Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and Vince Carter resulted in an NBA title in 2011, and adding Gasol could bring about that kind of success. Dallas is one player away from being absolutely deadly in the West, and pairing an aged but still productive Dirk Nowitzki with a primed Monta Ellis, an eager Tyson Chandler and a hungry Marc Gasol could be the right formula