The Dallas Mavericks are shaping up to be players this offseason in the NBA and Carmelo Anthony is the main free agent target along with Pau Gasol, Marcin Gortat and Zach Randolph and as the team chases those players, a trade for Tyson Chandler could also be an option as the team tries to keep Dirk Nowitzki in a Mavs uniform for the rest of his career as he hits free agency.
The Mavericks had a solid season and rebounded to make the playoffs after missing out the season before and while they pushed the Spurs a bit, they didn't have enough to win in the postseason. The team got some solid play from Vince Carter and adding Monta Ellis turned out to be a good move in free agency last season and now they hit 2014 and are looking to add again. According to ESPN.com, Gasol is the top target apart from Anthony and he likely will be making less than the $19.3 million he had last season, while the Knicks and Lakers are also going after the free agent.
Anthony has officially opted out of his contract and now he will be getting pitches from a number of teams this offseason. The Mavericks are one team that is interested, while the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LA Lakers and NY Knicks all could be in the mix as well. ESPN also reported that if Tyson Chandler was traded, the Mavs would be the top option and that is a deal the team could try and pull off if they want to lure Melo to Texas. The free agency period starts up after next week and with the draft on Thursday, there will be plenty of intrigue in the NBA this summer.
The team is in the mix for Anthony and while they are the low team on that list, Mark Cuban has a way of convincing players to sign and he could try and get Melo to buy in to what the Mavs are doing. Playing alongside a player like Ellis is not a great fit for Anthony, but the Mavs are determined to get a top player alongside Dirk after missing out on Dwight Howard and Deron Williams over the past few years. LeBron James is a target as well, but the Mavericks are not really an option for him, as he is picking between Miami and some other teams, including the Rockets, Bulls and Cavaliers, but that last one is a pipe dream.
Last season the Mavericks went 49-33 after going .500 the previous year and they got into the playoffs as the number eight seed with Dirk leading the way in scoring with just over 21 points per game last season. Dirk is getting older and is in the latter stages of his career, but he still is a great shooter and could be a major contributor for a winning team. Last season the Mavs ranked in the top 10 in scoring and they were 20th in points allowed per game and they will try and improve that latter number this season.