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The Dallas Mavericks wasted no time.
The club was thought to be meeting with free-agent center DeAndre Jordan on Wednesday morning, but that meeting was pushed up a few hours, as free agency opened at midnight on the East Coast on July 1.
The Mavs reportedly wined and dined both Jordan and free-agent shooting guard Wesley Matthews on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, where free agency began at 9 p.m. local time Tuesday, June 30, according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon:
Sources told ESPN.com that small forward Chandler Parsons, power forward Dirk Nowitzki and owner Mark Cuban met with Jordan, who had a Wednesday morning meeting scheduled with the Mavs. The Mavs are attempting to persuade Jordan, a third-team All-NBA center who will receive a max contract, to leave the Clippers to be a focal point for the Mavs. ...
Coach Rick Carlisle and athletic trainer Casey Smith met with Matthews, sources said. Matthews is the Mavs' top target at shooting guard despite suffering a torn Achilles tendon in early March.
Tuesday was the fifth straight night Parsons had dinner with Jordan, MacMahon tweeted. Best. Friends. Forever.
And if you think the Jordan wooing is over, think again:
#Mavs source tells me even after unscheduled DAJ-dinner, a.m. plans for official @deandrejordan6 (w bells & whistles) is still ON.
— mike fisher (@fishsports) July 1, 2015
The Mavericks didn't come to an agreement with either Jordan or Matthews after the Tuesday meetings, USA Today's Sam Amick tweeted, which makes sense considering the Wednesday meeting with Jordan remains scheduled. Dallas is hoping for more clarity with respect to both players over the next 24 hours.
There's work to be done, especially with respect to Matthews, Amick adds:
There's gap to bridge between Wes Matthews and Mavs, I'm told - he wants $15 mil a year, Mavs thinking of deal starting at approx $12 mil
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 1, 2015
CBS Sports' Matt Moore has more on Matthews' apparent demands:
Matthews has long been after a $15-million-per-year deal, which sounds like a lot until you consider the ramifications of the expanding cap in 2016 thanks to the NBA's new TV media deal. With Al-Farouq Aminu getting $7.5 million annually, and Anthony Davis getting a whopping $29 million annually, there's every reason to think that Matthews slides in comfortably at an above-average salary of $15 million per year.
