Chandler Parsons (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA free agency talk has started and even teams that are in the thick of the playoffs are not immune.
Chandler Parsons is known as the "Plan B" player. He is probably the next best option at the small forward position for a team if they fail to land Kevin Durant.
There would be critics who would say it's a huge step down, but he is already the free agent market is not as rich this year and teams have the most amount of cap space .
The Dallas Mavericks, once one of the bold players in free agency thanks to their owner, Mark Cuban, has struck out on their big name targets for the past three years. They infamously lost DeAndre Jordan this summer, a player that was recruited by Parsons. Now, the Mavericks stand to lose Parsons himself, as mentioned by Hoops Habit.
Parsons was also known for recruiting Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets. Apparently, he is one of the NBA's favorite teammates. Thus, there are teams that are aggressively chasing him.
One of them is the Orlando Magic, who is gallantly waving the hometown card. "The Orlando Magic are the most dangerous team to steal Parsons this summer," HH writer Cole Mentzel wrote. "Reason being that Orlando is Parsons' hometown team, plus they have tons of young, budding talent that is set to compete for championships in the future."
The article went on to list the Houston Rockets, the LA Lakers and the New York Knicks, the latter two dubbed as "the most desperate teams" for free agents.
But there might be a different suitor for Parsons in the offseason. As most speculation centers on Kevin Durant, the dominoes are expected to fall after he makes his decision. If he decides to leave OKC, the Thunder may go hard on Parsons as suggested by Tim McMahon of ESPN.
"If Durant leaves Oklahoma City, add the Thunder to the list, with a potential reunion with Parsons' coach at Florida, Billy Donovan."
The Donovan factor has been underrated, and the notion was that Parsons only wanted to return to his home state. Donovan is signed to a five-year deal with the Thunder and he has many former wards in the NBA including Joakim Noah, Al Horford and David Lee.
