Dwight Howard (Photo : Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics are rumored to be on the race to acquire Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard this season.
With the trade deadline nearing, trade talks start to buzz louder around the league as teams try to find the perfect pieces for a serious playoff run.
The Mavs and Celtics, both contending for a postseason berth in their respective conference, are reportedly in the mix to trading for Howard, who has been linked to the rumor mill in the past few weeks.
According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Celtics have engaged trade talks with the Rockets for Howard.
However, Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet revealed, citing a league source, that while the talks of Boston's interests towards Howard are "accurate," "talks aren't [for now at least] aren't expected to go much further than the discussion phase of negotiations."
Meanwhile, the Mavs have been long linked to luring Howard join the other side of Texas. Mavs swingman Chandler Parsons, who close ties and shares the same agent with Howard, admitted to USA Today that he has been talking to Howard routinely and would welcome the big fella in Dallas.
The only hindrance for the Mavs to acquire Howard is the team's capability to offer a max-contract come free agency. Dallas has plenty of soon-to-be free agents this coming summer in Zaza Pachulia and Dwight Powell, along with the possibility of Parsons and Deron Williams to decline their player option next season.
Given the circumstances the Mavs and the Cs have in trading for Howard, it is unlikely the two interested teams make a serious run at the three-time Defensive Player of the Year this season.
The Celtics may have the assets in their plethora of first round draft picks and David Lee, who has been reportedly looking for another team where he can play more minutes.
But an injury-prone big man like Howard does not seem to be the star Beantown has been waiting for. Moreover, Boston already has plenty of frontcourt pieces in Brad Stevens' rotation, which have been effective despite the lack of star power.
As for the Mavs, there is a slight chance they push hard to trade for Howard, considering Mark Cuban's history of reloading instead of rebuilding.
Dallas is bound for the postseason, but does not look like a team that has a chance against teams at the upper echelon of the Western Conference rankings. Bringing in Howard would give the Mavs an instant boost at the center position, but it may cost them much of their core roster.
