He's basically been on an apology tour in the days following Houston's playoff dispatching. It wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility that he's learned some measure of humility. At the very least, his reputation has taken enough damage in recent seasons that I expect wherever he ends up, he'll be motivated to prove his doubters and nay-sayers very wrong.
There have yet to be any real indications Dallas is open to that kind of contract for Dwight, just as there have yet be any indications Dwight is going to take less to play somewhere like Dallas.
Still, the scenario I keep coming back to is one where Howard -- warts and all -- is the best free agent genuinely interested in Dallas as a destination. He'd stay in the same state, he has a relationship with Chandler Parsons and don't bet against teammate Jason Terry coming back to Dallas, either on a veteran minimum type deal or in a front office capacity , and the Mavs do check plenty of boxes for a second-tier star: they have a great coach, they're always in the playoffs, and they play in a large market.
The Mike Conleys, Al Horfords and Hassan Whitesides of the world are going to get the full-court press to stay with their current teams, so pray for those guys at your own peril.
Even charming Nicolas Batum away is going to require some big bucks, and indications are Batum doesn't want to leave Charlotte. After that group where Dwight would probably slot in at the back end , you start to get to the tier of players that might be more cost-effective, but don't offer anywhere close to the potential reward Howard does.
I believe Mark Cuban when he says that he wants to win while Dirk Nowitzki is still playing. Even if Dirk isn't the same force of nature he was a half-decade ago, his presence still feels absolutely crucial to the team's success, in so far as his gravity alters the way every other player he shares a uniform with is defended. I fear just how drastic the change will be when he eventually retires, and how many philosophical adjustments will need to be made, from the way the organization addresses the draft and free agency to the more obvious X's and O's on the court.
Is signing Dwight a surefire way to get back to the Finals? Absolutely not, but a starting lineup that features Dwight in place of Zaza looks to me like a best case scenario for Dallas this offseason, and one of the only scenarios where I'd realistically say Dallas has a shot to host a playoff series next year. If it backfires -- and considering Dwight's past, that's obviously a possibility -- are you really in a different boat a couple of years from now than you're going to be, anyway?
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Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was one of the hottest free agents on the market. Dallas swung and missed as Howard signed with rival Rockets to pair with James Harden.
Howard followed that signing with a string of stints where he was at odds with teammates and coaches. The center began to be perceived as a locker room cancer and deemed too sensitive to withstand criticism. The former Rockets and current Sixers President of Basketball Operations can be trusted to get as optimal a solution as possible.
He was the only GM who dared to tool up and try to beat the Warriors at their own game. The sheer volume of that challenge dwarfs this temporary standoff by a humongous margin. With regards to this, we look back at one of the moments when Morey was fully in speculatory mode.
To keep a backup plan in place, Morey contacted Mark Cuban to explore the possibility of acquiring Dirk Nowitzki.
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