Chandler Parsons Signs Contract With Dallas Mavericks

At a club—not exactly the place for serious talk—Chandler Parsons approved an offer that could change his life on the basketball court tremendously. Well, at least the celebratory feeling was not out of place.

Hinging on his Twitter status, CBS Sports assumes Parsons was a happy man when he agreed to a three-year offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks. The small forward has therefore shot up from being what the report says was the NBA's most underpaid player to an athlete that the Business Insider says was about to be paid more than generously.

Parsons celebrated the occasion with his family and Mavs owner Mark Cuban, the report says, sharing the mother's tweet, "A great celebration." The accompanying photo shows both Parsons and Cuban side by side and all-smiles.

USA Today earlier reported, quoting an anonymous source, that the restricted free agent would receive $46 million over the three-year period if the deal materializes. The report is now confirmed by the latest developments on the deal, with an ESPN report saying it sets the price in excess of $45 million.

Photos of Parsons signing the sheet were on Cuban-administered Cyber Dust account early Thursday, the report noted. The Houston Rockets are given until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday to match the offer, otherwise they will lose Parsons—although they are trying to persuade Chris Bosh to join them.

The report adds that according to sources, the recently struck deal might have a player option after season number 2. Parsons is set to join Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler in an overhauled frontcourt.

Business Insider was initially puzzled by the hefty offer. Parsons averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the past season but $15 million annually may be too much for a nonsuperstar who has never played in an All-Star game, the outlet says. The report goes on to contrast that amount to Nowitzki ($10 million per season over the next three years) and LeBron James ($16.8 million per season over the last four years).

But the report found logic in what the Mavs' president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. He is reportedly a "really good fit." Sports Day quotes him as saying, "We've always liked guys that are multi-skilled and know what to do when they don't have the ball, are a triple threat and all those old-school things. It's a really good fit for us and we'll just have to sweat it out for three days."

According to the same report, the Mavs knew they were going to have to pay a price to make it difficult for the Rockets to come up with a counteroffer that matches theirs, only to secure reinforcement for "a big hole at the small forward spot," as Nelson put it.

He's a borderline star, says the Bleacher Report, adding that the 25-year-old has become one of the better small forwards of the league. Perhaps that is what the Mavs were signing up for.