When you've made over $200 million dollars in your career you have the luxury to take "team friendly contracts" which is what Dirk Nowitzki did when he signed with the Mavericks for 3-years/$25 million dollars this past offseason. This allowed the Mavs to spend money in other places, specifically in luring Rockets forward Chandler Parsons north to Dallas for 3-years/$46 million dollars. Because of this pay discrepancy Nowitzki says "I told him every dinner on the road this year is on him because it's my money anyway."
For his part Parsons said:
"I'm very humbled and glad that he did that, because I wanted to be here and I wanted to play here, and I wanted to play with him. That just shows you how much he wants to win. He'll take that big of a pay cut to try to bring a guy like me to try to help him win a championship."
As someone who's had to scrape by on less than $8 million bucks before, I hear what Dirk is saying. The arrangement only seems more appropriate since Rockets GM Daryl Morey called Parsons contract "one of the most untradeable structures I've ever seen." The beginning of Parsons justifying that "untradeable structure" starts tonight is going on right now, though it'll be a while before we can render judgment.
[via ESPN Dallas]
