A year after signing one Houston Rockets player via a restricted free agent offer sheet, the Dallas Mavericks are interested in doing the same with Patrick Beverley.
The Mavericks didn’t really get any further in life by signing Chandler Parsons, although for a time, before injuries and other problems (Rajon Rondo mostly) set in, they did have the best offense in the NBA. Beverley, a point guard whose speciality is defensive and hitting 3’s off of double teams with stars, might be the player the Mavericks are looking for.
Beverley, unlike a lot of other players heading into free agency, isn’t making any guaranteed about staying with the team he’s playing for now. He’s not making it a secret that after having it rough growing up, the prospect of becoming set for life is his main goal out of this, which means money.
Obviously, it’s not all up to him. The Rockets plan to match any offer made for him, but that was the plan last year with Parsons and instead they let him walk. In hindsight, the Rockets got better by adding Trevor Ariza instead for less money, but the bottom line is that either way, they’re not champions or any closer to be coming champions, looking pretty bad in the conference finals, losing in five games to the Warriors.
Beverley didn’t have the best of seasons, playing in just 55 games for a second straight season, averaging 10.1 points per game. However, he has done enough to make himself known as a very useful point guard who can defend very well and play off of a dominant guard like James Harden. That’s not going to be a max contract like every other player in the league is mentioned with, but he’s not going to find it difficult getting a long term deal he’ll find satisfactory.