DALLAS _ Memphis forward Chandler Parsons entered the game midway through the first quarter to a smattering of American Airlines Center boos, which in reality should have been drowned out by a collective sigh of relief.
Memphis, it should never be forgotten by Dallas fans, gave Parsons the max four-year, $94 million contract on July 1, 2016 that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shrewdly and/or luckily declined to match to keep Parsons.
That fateful turn of events, and others during those first 24 hours of free agency, had little bearing on Memphis' 111-81 rout of the Mavericks on Saturday night, but has a lot to do with where these franchises find themselves.
Granted the Mavericks are 12th in the West and Memphis is 14th, but there is little doubt that Dallas' future is brighter because of what did and didn't happen three summers ago while Memphis', well, isn't.
Had the Mavericks' Plans A or B materialized that summer, they certainly wouldn't have Luka Doncic, they probably wouldn't have Kristaps Porzingis and they definitely wouldn't have $30 million in cap space to spend this summer.
Dallas' goal three summers ago was to sign free agents Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, with interest in Nicolas Batum if Conley and Whiteside fell through.
Instead, after meeting with Mavericks officials, Conley opted to sign a then-NBA-record five-year, $153 million deal to remain in Memphis; Whiteside turned down Dallas' four-year, $94 million offer to remain at Miami for $98 million; and Batum re-upped with Charlotte.
"We knew he was a great player," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle recalled Saturday of Dallas' pursuit of Conley. "Spending time with him and talking basketball, he's got an amazing aptitude for the game. And really, it's both ends of the floor. He's got a really brilliant view of how to guard, how to use his strengths, which is his quickness and hands and anticipation."
Conley is an elite-level guard that any NBA team would be fortunate to have, but he's not worth $153 million _ or whatever max-amount Dallas would have had to pay him.
Hindsight, of course, is easy. Hindsight now tells us that the Mavericks' whiffs on free agents Deron Williams (2012), Dwight Howard (2013), Carmelo Anthony (2014), DeAndre Jordan (2015), Conley-Whiteside-Batum (2016) and Nerlens Noel's decision to turn down Dallas' $70 million offer in 2017 saved Cuban a lot of money _ and from himself.
So, as bleak as Saturday was _ and it was bleak, especially since it happened at home _ it could be worse. The Mavericks could be salary-cap-space strapped and without Doncic.
"We have good guys and they are good competitors," a visibly disappointed Carlisle said Saturday, "but we all fell short tonight."
Jonas Valanciunas led the Grizzlies Saturday with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Conley scored 12 points.
Doncic paced the Mavs with 22 points.
