The Cavs harbor strong interest in Chandler Parsons, and he would be the team’s first target should LeBron James decide to sign elsewhere, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Cavs are going after Ray Allen, Mike Miller and James Jones in an effort to woo LeBron, but Parsons appears to be an option for them independent of the four-time MVP, since Cleveland has more than $20MM in cap flexibility after today’s agreement to unload Jarrett Jack.
Parsons, a restricted free agent, is in high demand, as the Mavs are apparently readying an aggressive courtship of the small forward once they know for sure they won’t land LeBron or Carmelo Anthony. The Suns, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls and Wolves have also been linked to him since the start of free agency, but the Rockets can match any team’s offer.
The Cavs have also reportedly eyed Trevor Ariza for their cap space in the event they don’t land LeBron. Channing Frye was also a target, but he already agreed to a deal with the Magic.