Southwest Notes: Mavs, Rockets, Stiggers

The Mavericks will likely have a large roster turnover this offseason, Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Starters Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo and reserves Amar’e Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson, J.J. Barea, Charlie Villanueva and Greg Smith will be unrestricted free agents this summer, while Monta Ellis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Raymond Felton have player options on their contracts. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said head coach Rick Carlisle will have to put the pieces together in training camp, Price continues. “It puts our head coach in a difficult position, because when you’re shuffling in new pieces it’s just more challenging,” Nelson said to the team’s beat writers. “It’s not the preferred way of doing business, but in this age of free agency you have to have talent to win in this league.” Carlisle has already declared that Rondo, who had a tumultuous season with the club after being traded from the Celtics in December, will not be back. Chandler did not tip his hand concerning his future plans and that means the Mavs would likely pursue other top free agent centers on the market, including DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Robin Lopez and Omer Asik, Price asserts. LaMarcus Aldridge is another prominent free agent on the team’s radar screen, according to Price, but the team might have to convince Dirk Nowitzki to come off the bench to make that happen. Aminu, coming off strong playoff performances with Chandler Parsons injured, will opt out and seek a significant raise from the approximate $1.1MM he was due next season, Price adds.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

• It’s possible that Rockets draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull would consent to become a backup in the NBA, but it’s not likely, as David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes in a chat with readers. GM Daryl Morey earlier this spring denied a report that the team was planning a three-year offer to Llull worth a total of $17MM or more.
• Jherrod Stiggers will be among the draft prospects working out for the Rockets on Tuesday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Stiggers, a junior guard from the University of Houston, averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his final college season. Stiggers has a long way to go to become a serious draft candidate. He is not listed among Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider Top 100 Big Board or DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospects.