One of the biggest question marks in Mark Cubans tenure with the Dallas Mavericks is his handling of Tyson Chandler. The Dallas Mavericks won an NBA championship with the center as their defensive anchor, but Cuban was fine letting him walk out the door towards the New York Knicks. The Mavericks have not won much of anything since. Now with one year left on his current contract, Cuban wants Chandler back.
The Mavericks won 49 games last season after attempting to put together a better roster via free agency. However, they were knocked out of the first round of the NBA playoffs and now Cuban is left to try and add new players through trades while signing Dirk Nowitzki to a new contract.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Chandler is the top target for Dallas. Right now the New York Knicks are toying with making the center available for trades. Phil Jackson is ready to retool the roster while bringing in an entire new regime and Chandler could be on the outs because of it. Dallas saw some good things in players like Samuel Dalembert, but Chandler is the better player. Approaching free agency in 2015, the Knicks would love to get Chandler's $14.6 million salary off the books.
If the Chandler deal gets denied by the Knicks, Stein believes Milwaukee's Larry Sanders could be an option. Right now, Dallas is looking to upgrade most of their roster via trades instead of outright signings. The Mavericks are tight on salary cap space and cannot afford to just simply sign a marquee agent. However, that will not stop them from trying.
In Stein's breakdown of the Mavericks' offseason, Carmelo Anthony's name is listed as a potential. He believes Cuban will at least gauge the price tag of the guard to see if Dallas even stands a chance. The Mavericks are not looking to overpay for Anthony, but could be willing to throw more money at a player like Zach Randolph.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks like the idea of bringing in Randolph. He is not a max contract player and yet still has the abilities of one. The team sees him being a good fit on the other side of the court with Nowitzki and he would still fit with the team's budget. Shawn Marion is not expected to be back, leaving the door open for Randolph.
The issue with getting Randolph is that the situation is out of the Mavericks control. The forward will only be available if he opts out of his final year with the Memphis Grizzlies. While it looks like that is a realistic possibility, the Mavericks must pursue other options as a backup.
