Dwight Howard and Deron Williams might end up playing together after all, it just might not be in Brooklyn. Â Read more after the jump.
The immediate dismantling of a championship team is not typical in sports (unless you’re Jeffrey Loria), so when Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson decided to completely overhaul the Mavericks roster the reaction wasn’t pretty.
Cuban had spent the better part of 11 years trying to bring a championship to Dallas and overpaying the likes of Erick Dampier only to let the stalwart of the Mavericks’ title run, Tyson Chandler, leave in free agency? But slowly, the ramifications of the new CBA became clearer and the moves that were made this offseason had a bigger picture in mind. 2012.
For the first time in Cuban’s ownership he was going to have the flexibility to be a player in free agency. The two biggest names in 2012 as you may have heard are Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. Well, According to the NY Daily News, Deron Williams made it known during the Mavericks finals run that he would love to play in Dallas.
Williams privately told members of the Mavs last June during their Finals celebration that he would love to go back home and be a part of team with Dirk Nowitzki.
You may remember Williams hanging out in the Mavericks locker room during last season’s final run. I believe the interest is definitely there from both sides and I do think Dallas is Deron’s preferred destination. The Mavericks will just need to hope March 15 passes without Dwight Howard landing in Brooklyn. Speaking of Dwight, I’ll leave you with this rumor that is starting to gain steam around the NBA.
The ultimate disaster for New Jersey would be if Williams and Howard end up playing together, but not in Brooklyn. With some roster alterations that are doable, including using their one amnesty move on Brendan Haywood, the Mavs could be set up, cap-wise, to accommodate both players.
“The Mavs want to do what Miami did and put together their own big three,’’ said another GM. “That’s their goal.”
