The Dallas Mavericks have their eyes set on a big shot blocking, rim rattling center this offseason. No, this isn’t deja vu. According to the Dallas Star-Telegram, the Mavs plan on hitting the free agency lottery this summer signing having Dwight Howard, who plans to opt out of the final year of his contract.
If the Mavs are serious about signing Dwight Howard away from their in state rival in Houston, then they will probably have to re-sign one of his best friends — Chandler Parsons. Parsons is opting out of the final year of a deal that was to pay him $16 million for the 2016-17 season. But first, they’ll have to figure out how much Parsons is worth and how much they’re willing to pay for his services, especially after both of his seasons in Dallas ended with surgeries on his right knee.
The issue with Howard may be his asking price. He’s looking for a long term deal that will pay him around $30 million annually. That’s a lot of coin for a player who shoots a little over 55% from the line for his career, and doesn’t really seem to take the game seriously.
In addition to trying to lure in Howard, the Mavs who will have about $45.5 million in cap space, top priority will be to keep Dirk Nowitzki in the fold. He recently opted out of his deal, which only paid him $8.7 million for this past season.
I’m guessing that Mark Cuban won’t have to worry about James Harden and Patrick Beverley having a lock-in with Dwight to keep in from signing a deal if he and the Mavs were to agree to terms.
