Tyson Chandler to Suns: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban let Tyson Chandler walk once and lived to regret it. His pursuit of a superstar just let that happen again. Chandler signed a deal with the Phoenix Suns, the team announced.   

Marc Stein of ESPN reported the contract is worth $52 million over four years.

An integral member of Dallas' 2011 championship team, Chandler returned last season after three years with the New York Knicks. He averaged 10.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while looking rejuvenated on the defensive end.

“He’s one of the real big-time difference-makers in this league. And when he’s healthy, there’s very few guys that are better at what he does, if any,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said in June, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.

The Mavericks' desire to keep Chandler was well-known but so was their desire to add a star-level piece next to Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. 

DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge were each consistently linked as Dallas targets during the pre-free-agency period, which left Chandler in a bit of limbo. The Mavericks held on to their Bird rights with Chandler but very well could have dropped them at any minute in pursuit of a true foundational piece. 

In the end, Chandler decided to secure his long-term future instead of waiting around.

At age 32, Chandler remains a solid overall rim protector. He allowed opponents to shoot a shaky 50.9 percent against him at the rim, per SportVU data, but was consistently tasked with atoning for mistakes by perimeter defenders. The Mavericks allowed nearly four fewer points per 100 possessions with Chandler on the floor, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Phoenix is likely looking to add Aldridge in an effort to lessen Chandler's defensive workload going forward. That will become all the more important as Chandler ages into the deal. He remained spry for most of last season but has a rich injury history and looked like a different player toward the end of his New York tenure.

Either way, having lived to regret letting Chandler walk once, it'll be interesting to see the reaction in Dallas to Cuban allowing that to happen again.

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