Chandler Parsons undergoes season-ending knee surgery

Dallas Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons underwent season-ending knee surgery Friday to repair a torn meniscus. How does this impact the NBA?

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Dallas Mavericks star small forward Chandler Parsons had season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The veteran wing will not play a part in a possible playoff run for the Mavericks in 2016 after playing in 61 games for Dallas this season.

This is now the second time in as many years that Parsons’ season has been cut short by a knee injury since signing with the Mavericks in summer 2014 after several strong years with the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets.

The news of Parsons’ 2015-16 season coming to an end in late March has a huge impact on the league with regards to a handful of teams. Parsons will enter 2016 NBA free agency this summer, but with his lingering health issues may end up costing him the type of money he’s made the last two years playing for Mark Cuban’s Mavericks.

Even with a healthy Parsons as one of the key players on the Mavericks, Dallas is only in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with a 35-36 record through 71 games. Dallas is a game below .500 and only has a half game lead over the eighth-place Rockets and the ninth-place Utah Jazz.

Should Dallas continue to slide without Parsons on the floor, the Mavericks could miss the Western Conference Playoffs entirely. Dallas cannot afford to squander postseason opportunities in the twilight of superstar power forward Dirk Nowitzki’s illustrious Hall of Fame worthy career.

Another thing to keep an eye on is that the Boston Celtics have the rights to the Mavericks’ 2016 first round pick as part of the grossly one-sided Rajon Rondo/Jae Crowder trade last season. Rondo is now with the Sacramento Kings after routinely butting head with Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle. Crowder is a crucial piece for Boston head coach Brad Stevens.

If Dallas fails to reach the playoffs, the playoff bound Celtics will have two picks in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. Boston already has the right to swap first round picks with their Atlantic Division rival Brooklyn Nets as part of the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett deal years ago.

While it is important for Parsons to get his health before entering free agency, the real winner in this tough news for the Mavericks is the Celtics. Losing Parsons for the year is Dallas’ loss as much as it is Boston’s gain.

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