Mavericks Rumors: Lin, Jordan, Cuban, Nowitzki

Free agent Jeremy Lin is considering the Mavericks despite the team’s limited remaining cap space, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. Although Lin could likely command a higher salary elsewhere, his desire to play for a contender and his friendship with Chandler Parsons from their days as teammates in Houston could be enough to bring him to Dallas. If the Mavericks get a commitment from Lin, Stein notes, they could waive Raymond Felton and stretch his contract to create a $2.6MM salary slot.

There’s more from Dallas on a holiday weekend:

• The expected signings of DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews confirm that Dallas is still a free agent destination, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko contends the two additions make the Mavericks relevant again and hints that a “very functional” point guard may be joining the team soon, possibly referring to Lin.
• Owner Mark Cuban described his new center as “Shaq-like” and said he plans to give Jordan a significant role in the team’s offense, according to Melissa Rohlin of The Los Angeles Times. Not being a regular part of the offense was reportedly one of the things that made Jordan want to leave the Clippers. “We see him as ‘Shaq-like’ but never having been given the opportunity,” Cuban said in a radio interview on “The Ticket.” “We told him if he came to the Mavs, he would be a focal point. He would grow into being a franchise player.” Jordan averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game last season and shot a league-best 71% from the floor, but complained that he was never given a large enough role in L.A.
• Although Parsons served as lead recruiter, the relationship between Cuban and agent Dan Fegan was key to getting Jordan to Dallas, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland.com.
• Jordan was impressed that Dirk Nowitzki cut short a family vacation to represent the Mavericks in their meeting, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. No Clippers players attended their team’s meeting with Jordan.