Das Gästebuch » try to remain relevant in the championship pictur

DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki is willing to hop on a plane at a moments notice. Mark Cuban wont have "Shark Tank" tapings that interfere with recruiting. The Dallas Mavericks and their star player and owner are ready for a run at Dwight Howard when free agency opens late Sunday night. Its been two years since the Mavericks dismantled key parts of their only championship team in the name of salary cap space. They are a summer removed from getting spurned by point guard Deron Williams -- while Cuban was on the set of his reality TV show -- in their first big pitch with money to spend. If Howard does the same thing, Dallas isnt planning to wait another summer to give Nowitzki some help so the 35-year-old German can try to remain relevant in the championship picture for his last couple of years as an elite player. "We made it clear to everybody that were exploring different options," Cuban told reporters during practice for Nowitzkis celebrity baseball game Friday. "Its just not one approach. Last year it was one-year deals because we wanted to get to this year, not just because of the big names but there were other names that we really liked. This year its not going to be about one-year deals." A second straight season with a bundle of expiring or one-year contracts cost Dallas a 12-season playoff streak when Nowitzki missed the first two months after knee surgery. At his age, he might need a headliner more than a sidekick, but he definitely needs one or the other. "If Dwight or whoever says no, weve got to have some other options," Nowitzki said. "We dont want to get too excited for one thing." First things first, though -- and thats Howard. Cuban said meetings are already set in Los Angeles with "a couple of different players." Howards future with the Los Angeles Lakers appears much murkier than point guard Chris Pauls potential return to the Los Angeles Clippers. Thats because the Clippers grabbed coach Doc Rivers from Boston in a deal that cost them a future first-round pick. Nowitzki has already reached out to Howard by phone, and knows what can happen when he has a defensive-minded centre around the basket. That was Tyson Chandler in 2011, when the Mavericks won the title but chose financial flexibility over bringing back Chandler on a long-term contract under the new labour deal. Dallas hasnt won a playoff game since, and is now remaking the roster for the third straight year. "I guess hes just weighing out his options," Nowitzki said of his conversation with Howard. "He didnt really say anything newsworthy. Im sure hes got a couple of meetings set up for whenever that might be and hopefully the Mavs are one of those teams and well go from there." If Howard doesnt return to the Lakers, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta -- his hometown -- are considered the most likely destinations. Players cant sign before July 10. The Mavericks signalled during the draft Thursday night that free agency is their first priority by trading down twice to save cap space. They ended up with the 18th pick in Miami point guard Shane Larkin, the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, and like him enough that they could keep him. With or without Larkin, the Mavericks have more work to do to clear enough room to give Howard a maximum contract in the range of $20 million for his first season. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says the team can get there, and that cap manoeuvring was why 2012 first-round pick Jared Cunningham, another point guard, was included in draft-night dealings. "The financial piece of it is pretty critical at this juncture," Nelson said after the draft. "Weve got to go into the off-season with the decks clear and clean." The Mavericks have just seven players on the roster, Larkin and second-round pick Ricky Ledo of Providence included, and only two starters in Nowitzki and forward Shawn Marion. Larkin and Ledo dont figure to start, so Dallas presumably is still looking for front-line players at point guard, shooting guard and centre after the experiment of Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman didnt work last season. Mayo looks like the only one of those three with a remote chance of returning, and even that is unlikely with him expected to get better offers. "Were trying to accumulate high-quality, high-energy, high-motor, skilled players to put around Dirk Nowitzki," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Weve got to enhance his ability to do what he does and weve got to enhance the opportunity to keep him playing as long as possible because he loves to play and hes great. So thats a priority, and it will continue to be one this summer." With or without Dwight Howard. 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