The Rockets, a trendy preseason pick to win the Western Conference, are 27-28, in ninth place in the West, and two and a half games out of a playoff spot. That, coupled with center Dwight Howard’s ability to opt out of his contract in the offseason, has GM Daryl Morey openly exploring trade options according to Yahoo.
Here are the three best destinations for Howard as a style-fit, without considering the salary cap.
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Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are currently the No. 6 seed in the West, with a lineup that lacks a superstar. Howard may not be the franchise-changing force he was a few years ago, but he is still averaging 14.6 points and 12 rebounds on a team where James Harden dominates the ball.
The Mavericks have a length on the perimeter with Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons, a distributor in Deron Williams, and a go-to scorer in the post in Dirk Nowitzki, whose range will allow Howard to operate in the paint. Howard is known to be a handful to coach, but the Mavericks have one of the NBA’s top coaches, Rick Carlisle, to keep him in check.
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Toronto Raptors
As good as the Raptors have been this year, and last year as well, they do not have rugged interior players to contend with the Cavaliers’ size, or the big men that the Spurs or Thunder could throw at them if they made the Finals. Howard is a risky acquisition because he could threaten the chemistry the Raptors have developed, but their current roster looks like it has the ceiling of an Eastern Conference Finals team. If they could hang on to Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan, Howard could be the piece that pushes them over the top.
If Howard wrecks them and it doesn’t work out, he can still opt out of his contract and seek a max deal anyway, so it’s no skin off Toronto’s back to make a strong push to win now.
Brooklyn Nets
They’re not afraid to spend, they have no incentive to tank since they’ve traded their future, and did I mention they’re not afraid to spend? No superstar is going to go to Brooklyn in his prime because they won’t be able to support him with a championship core.
But Howard might, because he’s lost a little value, and he’d be the best player on the team by far. He will get his money, his post touches and the low expectations he apparently needs to thrive personally. The Nets will probably still stink, but at least they’d have a bankable attraction.
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