According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Mavericks split up their recruiting team so they could meet with both DeAndre Jordan and shooting guard Wesley Matthews as free agency began.
Dallas was expected to meet with Jordan on Wednesday, July 1st, but their meeting was pushed up to a Tuesday night dinner in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in Los Angeles, a separate Mavericks party met with Blazers swingman Wes Matthews.
The recruiting party from Dallas includes owner Mark Cuban, general manager Donnie Nelson, head coach Rick Carlisle, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, and respected Mavericks trainer Casey Smith. Although no one has confirmed who is where, you can be sure Parsons is with Jordan and Smith is with Matthews, who is currently rehabbing from an Achilles tear.
ESPN's Tim McMahon reported that this is the fifth consecutive night that Chandler Parsons has had dinner with DeAndre Jordan. Parsons has also been seen hanging out and partying with Jordan in both Houston and Los Angeles nightclubs.
The fact that the Mavericks got the first meetings could mean they're the favorites or it could mean absolutely nothing. Jordan's decision is reportedly a 50/50 decision between returning to the Clippers and signing with the Mavericks, but the Knicks and the Lakers are also involved in his decision.
Wesley Matthews, on the other hand, hasn't really made it know who’s a favorite at this time and isn't planning on taking a pay cut just because he's coming off a torn Achilles. Matthews is one of two shooting guards that have been reported to be on the Mavs' radar, the other being Spurs guard Danny Green.
It's very feasible to imagine that the Mavs are pitching to Jordan and Matthews the idea of them both coming to Dallas as a package deal to bolster their starting lineup. The Dallas Mavericks was also one of two teams that made a call to free-agent point guard Patrick Beverley, the other team being the Houston Rockets.