Chandler Parson wasn't happy about languishing in free agency before the Houston Rockets eventually decided to pass on matching a three-year, $45 million offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks. Parsons talked to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports about the emotions he went through as a restricted free agent while most the NBA was waiting for the dominos to drop following LeBron James' decision to go back to Cleveland.
Chandler Parsons believed he could be Rockets’ 3rd star
Parsons, aggrieved by the Rockets’ free agency positioning, thought he could be Houston’s third star. Houston decided not to match the offer, letting him go to Dallas.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
“Honestly, I was offended by the whole process,” Parsons told Yahoo Sports on Monday in a phone interview. “They publicly said that they were going out looking for a third star when I thought they had one right in front of them. I guess that’s just how they viewed me as a player. I don’t think I’ve scratched the surface of where I can be as a player and I think I’m ready for that role.
“You can’t knock them for always trying to get better. [Houston general manager] Daryl Morey is very aggressive, is a genius, a great GM and I have nothing but respect for those guys. And they are looking to make their team better. That’s what they were doing. I just thought I could be that guy that could do that.”
Houston had a team option on Parsons’ fourth season, which would have retained him for another season at about $900,000, but they declined it so that they could avoid having to make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Instead they opted to decline the option so they could have the chance to match any offer from an opposing team.
The Rockets publicly made it clear they were trying to get a third star, first going after Carmelo Anthony and then making a late run at Chris Bosh before the forward decided to re-up in Miami. When Houston made the decision to let Parsons walk, they did it because they wanted to remain flexible in their pursuit of another star player in the future.
With everything now in the past, Parsons has turned his focus to his future with the Mavericks. Calling it a "perfect situation", Parsons is eager to play for Rick Carlisle, who he called the best coach in the league.
Parsons is looking for an increased role from last season, and Dallas seemed happy to give him the opportunity. “They came at me with a high max offer and viewed me as a franchise player,” Parsons said. “That’s what I wanted.”
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