Filling out the Mavericks Roster: Cheap Deals and Steals?

The Dallas Mavericks finally made a big splash in free agency. They have agreed to terms with Rockets' restricted free agent Chandler Parsons on a 3-year, $46 million deal: a contract that will absorb the Mavs remaining cap room.

While there is no guarantee that the Rockets will allow Parsons to head to Dallas, the Mavs are giving off the impression that they will use the remaining cap room to bring in a small forward, whether or not it's Parsons.

Either way, Dallas will have to have to look for cheap options to fill the glaring holes on its roster. Vince Carter may have seen his last days in a Mavs jersey, unless he's willing to take less than what other teams may be offering. Dirk Nowitzki still needs a backup, guard depth is shallow, shooters would be nice, and an extra big or two would go a long way.

With all these needs, the best the Mavs may be able to offer is a minimum deal. I'll take a look at possible options the team could use to fill the roster.

**Note: I have no exact knowledge that a minimum deal will land any of these players. With the inflated market, I could be easily be wrong. Yet, I will try my best to pick "possible" minimum waged players the Mavs could land.

Mo Williams

The team needs scoring and shooting, especially if Carter is no longer in the fold, and Williams has no problem doing either. He has averaged 13.3 points and has shot 38.5 percent from behind the arc during his career. He doesn't have the basketball IQ of Jose Calderon, but could easily fill the role of floor spacer with Monta Ellis handling the playmaking duties. It's been made known that he wants to play for the Mavs and that the Mavs want him. Hopefully his desire to be in Dallas and possibly a starting job can sway him into signing a minimum deal.

Ivan Johnson

The Mavs Summer league invitee could be seen as a DeJuan Blair replacement. He spent two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before playing in China this past season. He'll look to bruise and bang down low, and do plenty of it. Also, despite being just 6'8", Johnson will rebound. For his career, he's grabbed 3.9 boards in 15 minutes of action.

Elton Brand

The former Mav could be seen as a great fit for this team. His ability to play both power forward and center should be appealing to both sides. He can be used as a third center to face more physical bigs that Brandan Wright may struggle with. Or, his mid-range game would allow him to play next to Wright to give the Mavs a nice duo off of the bench. At 35-years-old and nearing the end of his career, a minimum deal is very doable.

Jason Smith

The least likely player of this group to receive a minimum deal, but injuries throughout his career could greatly tarnish his value on the market. Despite playing in only 31 games last season, he was able to show what he was capable of when he steps on the court. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and .9 blocks for the Pelicans. His size and shooting touch could easily make him a valuable reserve to the team.

Charlie Villanueva

This would be a reclamation project. After a decent start to his career, he's been plain awful during the last three seasons in Detroit. He's seen his scoring drastically decline those three years, each setting a new career low. Maybe a change of scenery is what he'll need to revitalize his career. When he's right, he can spread the court at the power forward spot, a trait Rick Carlisle prefers his power forwards to have; he's shot 34.3 percent from behind the arc.

Ryan Hollins

Remember Brian Cardinal and those hard fouls? That's what this one time Mav could bring. Hollins isn't anything great. He played averaged only 7.9 minutes for the Clippers last season, and this is with them having no legitimate size behind DeAndre Jordan. Still, Hollins could be used as an emergency big. He's seven-foot and has some decent athleticism, traits that are tough to find.

Brandon Rush

Looked like he finally found his niche in the NBA before tearing his ACL early into the 2012-2013 season. With the Mavs needing depth on the wings and shooting, Rush could easily find his way into the rotation. If he's healthy, he has the ability to knock the 3-ball down (career 40.9 percent) and is a solid defender. It wouldn't be a shock if teams began lining up for him once the the bigger names find their home, which could lead to him being out of the Mavs price range.

Hedo Turkoglu

Could be seen as the ideal replacement for Carter. He's no longer the player he was during his time with the Magic, but he still has the ability to shoot from range. He shot 44 percent in 38 games with the Clippers last season, though he only attempted 1.3 per game. Like Carter, he is a capable playmaker, especially in the pick-n-roll. Back injuries are a still a major concern for the 35-year-old.

Greg Oden

The team was in the mix for the former number one overall selection last season, but were passed up for the Miami Heat. Oden is still battling the same knee issues that have haunted his career. If he can find a way to step on the court for 10-15 minutes a game, he could be a great third/fourth center option against larger front lines.

James Jones

We've seen the Mavs bring in reserve shooters -- Wayne Ellington and Anthony Morrow -- over the last few seasons. Neither really cracked the rotation during their short times, but their shooting was always available if Carlisle deemed it was needed. Jones would be able to offer the same. Despite barely seeing the court last season, he was able to shoot a whopping 51.9 percent on his 54 attempts and has shot 40.1 percent from behind the arc during his career. He won't offer much else, but if the Mavs are desperate for a shooting specialist, Jones can easily fill the role.

The Mavs will need to fill their roster with cheap deals. The team has bolstered the starting unit with Tyson Chandler and possibly Chandler Parsons. One of their greater strengths last season was their reserve unit. Now they must make sure the bench doesn't take a big step back as they look to contend once again.