[purplefrog]

I have reservations about giving Parsons a max contract, but I really don't think the Mavs can afford to mess around by trying to finesse free agency this summer. The limited number of top tier free agents leaves little room for error and a higher probability of coming up empty handed. I would rather see them shore up the foundation and then move to improve rather than betting the house on signing Conley and/or Whiteside.

On the other hand, I am intrigued by Kent Bazemore and wonder if his speed, athleticism, and motor might work well in the Carlisle system. Could you plug him in as starting SF and have his different talents (defense, rebounding, durability, and athleticism) neutralize the playmaking and shooting of Parsons? I probably wouldn't bet on that trade off, but last year the Mavs did seem a bit slow afoot compared to other teams in today's NBA. For example, I can imagine when Wes takes a break, you slide Bazemore over to SG and bring Anderson in to play SF. Now you have two young athletic wing players that can both rebound and fly around the basket. The downside is you are still looking to upgrade PG and C. And you will need some shooters to come off the bench.

At the end of the day, I would play this conservative and max out Parsons, but there maybe ways to improve this team by overspending on second tier players even if you lose him to free agency.