Mavericks: Howard Unlikely To Play In Big D

The Dallas Mavericks could still be interested in a franchise big man to line up next to Dirk Nowitzki, but that player is not likely to be Dwight Howard.

For those that still burn some over last summer’s failed recruitment of Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, rumors that the Dallas Mavericks might still want a franchise center to protect the paint while forward Dirk Nowitzki is still in the game should come as good news.

However, that player is not likely to be Dwight Howard of the Houston Rockets.

If you’ll think back, it was just two years before the Jordan saga of ’15 that Howard originally spurned the Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, the team he had just played for, in favor of the Rockets and their new superstar addition James Harden.

Howard is just one of a few high-profile NBA free agents that have skipped over the Mavericks since Dallas won its first and only NBA title in 2011. For whatever the reason, playing alongside Nowitzki just hasn’t seemed like an attractive idea for players like Howard, Jordan or even current starting point guard Deron Williams, who was coveted following the departure of Jason Kidd in ’12.

With Houston having already switched head coaches this season and currently standing at just 27-28 at the All-Star break, rumors are already swirling about Howard finally arriving in Dallas to join a Mavericks team that looks a bit different than it did a few years ago.

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Having said that, there’s little that seems interesting about bringing Howard to the Mavericks now.

Howard has suffered numerous injuries over the last couple of seasons and at age 30 it doesn’t seem like the best idea to bring in a player who’s going to cost a ton while likely playing sometimes. It’s not like Howard has been known as being the most harmonious figure in the locker room either.

Nonetheless, Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, is ready to begin his recruitment of his good friend Howard, who he successfully wooed to Houston just before signing with Dallas a year later.

"I’m talking to him (routinely), obviously, and we share the same agent with Dan Fegan … Obviously I have a really close relationship with Dwight and one year wasn’t enough playing with him in Houston. I was a big reason why he went there, so I’ll have to revisit that when the time is appropriate. The relationship I had with him, and making him feel comfortable, that was big (in Houston)."

Parsons was also at the forefront of the Jordan recruitment last summer, an effort that seemed to have landed the Mavericks a replacement and assumed upgrade over Tyson Chandler. Based on history, Howard to the Mavericks would seem more likely now that at any time before.

To be clear, there’s almost no formula that would see Dallas actually trade for Howard, especially with no certainty that the 12th-year veteran would resign for the 2016-17 season beginning next fall. What would the Mavericks propose to trade away to Houston in the first place?

A name I haven’t mentioned yet is Zaza Pachulia, the Jordan consolation prize that’s played some better-then-expected basketball for the Mavericks this season. Pachulia’s frequent double-doubles are one of the main reasons that Dallas is above .500 at the break, let alone the sixth seed in the Western Conference as the regular season approaches the home stretch.

A free agent after this season, even Pachulia’s presence in Dallas is anything but guaranteed moving forward and I would even submit that the Mavericks still need a better overall defender in the paint if they’re going to reach the next level during Nowitzki’s playing days. Pachulia’s effort is outstanding under the rim when it comes to playing the ball off the glass and he’s also a decent scorer, but he can’t defend much of anything.

Despite Pachulia’s weaknesses, it’s still hard to believe that Dallas would be in much better shape with Howard. When considering how the Mavs have fared against top Western Conference teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, it’s clear that no one player closes the gap enough to make those matchups a whole lot better than they are right now.

I’m not even sure that the Mavericks should keep forcing the issue by searching for a premier center. With more teams having success while playing variations of ‘small ball,’ it might be better to keep the focus on improving the power forward position, which might entail asking Nowitzki to come off the bench next season and beyond.

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To believe that Howard would be a significant part of a Mavericks push toward another championship is about as lofty as the number of injuries he’d likely still be fending off in Dallas. In this case, there’s no reason whatsoever for Parsons to waste a bunch of money on romancing a one-time defensive force under the rim that’s almost certainly seen his best playing days already.

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