Mavs' Chandler understands 'business is business' in upcoming free agency
FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Mavericks are willing to let center Tyson Chandler test free agency, just as they did in 2011. The 32-year-old veteran doesn't at all consider the move by the front office to be a slight against him.
"Business is business," Chandler said. "I get it. They need to make the best decision for the franchise. I still feel like I've got a lot to go, a lot left to give. At the end of the day, I feel like I make the best decision for myself and my family and Mark [Cuban] makes the best decision for the organization."
Chandler made $14.6 million last season after Dallas re-acquired him after a trade with New York. The Mavericks sent two 2014 second-round picks, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, and Jose Calderon to the Knicks in exchange for Chandler and guard Raymond Felton. Chandler was reunited with the team he won the NBA Championship with in 2011.
One ex-teammate from the 2011 team that wants to reunite with Chandler is Jason Kidd, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Reports indicate the Bucks have interest in Chandler.
"That's pretty interesting," said Chandler. "I didn't see that coming. But obviously it's a huge honor, because I spent two years on the Knicks, and that they want to pursue me means he thinks highly of me. Future Hall of Famer and that's humbling."
If the Mavericks' offer is not in the best interest of Chandler and he goes elsewhere, Dirk Nowitzki won't fault Chandler whatsoever.
"He knows I love him," Nowitzki said. "He'll always be family. We won the championship together."
Dallas drafted 7-2 Satnam Singh in the second round of the 2015 draft. However, the front office acknowledges Singh is a developmental project, not a solution to the team's immediate needs in the low post. Chandler's fate is another dilemma the Mavericks face when free agency starts in July.
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