The Houston Rockets continue their quest to land All-Star center Dwight Howard through a free agent signing this offseason, and are now reportedly considering trading forward Thomas Robinson to create salary-cap space to help in their pursuit.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Rockets have made it clear to several rival teams that they plan to accept the best offer to move Robinson and eliminate his $3.52 million salary for the 2013-14 season. Without his salary on the books and others, the Rockets will have the necessary space to offer Howard a maximum deal worth approximately $20.5 million per season.
The Rockets are competing with the Dallas Mavericks and now possibly the Golden State Warriors for Howard. However, though free agency doesn't begin until July 1, Howard has grown increasingly intrigued by the thought of Houston as being a possible landing destination, sources said.
Howard's likely thinking about the future and signing with the Lakers will surely ensure another difficult season for Howard in the future. In the summer of 2014, while other stars will become free agents, the Lakers would only have Howard and Steve Nash under contract and will likely be in the process of rebuilding for the 2014-15 season.
Now let's imagine that if Howard were to sign with the Rockets, by the summer of 2014 the Rockets would have Howard, James Harden, Omer Asik, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin on their roster, with the flexibility to add on.
Another benefit is that he'd be saving a substantial amount of cash by paying no state income tax, which early estimates are suggesting could reach $10 million over four years.
As the Rockets increase the efforts, it's beginning to look more and more apparent that Houston will be Howard's next home.
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