The Dallas Mavericks pushed the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs to the brink of elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and Mark Cuban seems to have a big plans in store for this summer.
According to ESPN NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks are on the short list of teams that will have a face-to-face meeting with impending free agent Carmelo Anthony.
Per Stein:
When it comes to Melo, meanwhile, what you hear is that the Mavs are quietly optimistic they will be on that short list of teams granted a face-to-face visit with the New York Knicks’ scoring machine, just as they were with Dwight Howard last summer. The sense in Big D is that Melo will give them a legit look.
The Mavs are bound to pursue Melo until they’re told they have no shot, because players of that caliber are rarely available and are hard to get when they are.
The Mavs have their eyes set on another Knick as well.
Per the report, Cuban is expected to make a push to re-acquire center Tyson Chandler from New York. Chandler left the Mavericks in free agency after winning the NBA championship, and sources tell ESPN Cuban views the former Defensive Player of the Year as the one who got away.
The most interesting whisper, at this early stage, is that the Mavs intend to be at the front of the line to try to reacquire Tyson Chandler should the Knicks make their defensive anchor available via trade.
Letting Chandler go remains the most fiercely debated aspect of Cuban’s decision to break up the Mavs’ championship team, but word is they’ll indeed pursue what many will regard as an overdue reunion.
Chandler has one more year remaining on his deal with the Knicks, but said he does not want to be a part of another rebuilding team. If the Knicks lose Anthony, they could be heading in that direction.
Dallas is also expected to pursue Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders and Cleveland Cavaliers wing Luol Deng.
Sanders may come on the cheap after a rough season in Milwaukee, and may be enticed by the possibility of playing in Dallas like another former Buck, Monta Ellis.
Deng is viewed as “dependable” by Cuban, as opposed to another potentially sought-after free agent wing in Lance Stephenson. Deng likely will come at a lower cost as well.
