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Nicolas Batum will meet with Dallas Mavericks

The highly sought after wing is going to look at all his options before making a decision.

By Chris Barnewall
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Update: It looks like the Charlotte Hornets will be meeting with Nicolas Batum in Dallas as well. He'll also be speaking with the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington Wizards over the phone. This continues to look like a case of Batum keeping his options open.

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Nicolas Batum, an unrestricted free agent, is expected to meet with the Dallas Mavericks when the free agency period begins July 1st.

The Mavericks are always a team that's a player in free agency, but they struggle to close in on deals. Last year they notoriously lost out on DeAndre Jordan during the moratorium period between when players can agree to deals, and when they can actually sign them. There are reports that Chandler Parsons may leave this offseason, and it looks like Dallas is doing their due diligence to try and find suitable replacements.

As for Batum, considering he's an unrestricted free agent it just makes good business sense to spend his time looking at all of his options before making a decision on where to sign this offseason. Fans and media alike all agree that Batum would be "the perfect choice" for about 20 NBA teams. He's on everybody's list, and whoever gets him is going to be thrilled that he chose to sign with that team.

All of that said, the Hornets are still the favorite to keep Batum. Only they can offer him a 5th year on his contract, and they can also give him more money than any other team can offer. Add in his comments about how much he enjoyed playing in Charlotte last season and it feels like a close to sure thing that he re-signs.

So why take the meeting with Dallas? For one it's smart to keep his options open. Maybe a team's offer blows him away to the point where he decides the money and extra year isn't worth it. This also puts pressure on the Hornets to give Batum what he wants in negotiations. Taking a meeting with Dallas is a reminder loud and clear to Rich Cho and Michael Jordan that Batum can easily leave if he wants to.

But, he's probably still going to stay.

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