Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported that the center wants to win titles. That desire will eliminate all but a couple of teams on his radar.
McMenamin and Shelburne listed five teams that have scheduled meetings with Howard: the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Not many of those teams are legitimate title contenders right now, so the list will be narrowed down if that's truly what the free agent is chasing.
Sorry, Raising Cane's. Your offer of free chicken for life, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Daily News (h/t CBS Sports), won't be enough to attract Howard.
Of those five teams, how many can realistically compete for a championship next season?
The Mavericks have Dirk Nowitzki, who is 35 years old, but not much else. Rookie Shane Larkin may be a good player, but the Mavericks lack anyone around Nowitzki. A duo of Nowitzki and Howard would provide good size. However, there wouldn't be enough scoring on the perimeter to win a title.
Atlanta benefits from playing in a weak division—outside of the Miami Heat. With the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic all in the Hawks' division, Atlanta would have a good shot of making the playoffs every year. That's about all the Hawks would do. They wouldn't be serious title contenders.
Those two teams are out, so the other three teams are the only ones left in play.
Golden State had a strong showing in the postseason, but the Warriors aren't likely to land Howard.
It looks like Howard's best suitors are the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Houston had a good se...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
