The Dallas Mavericks are one of many teams trying to come up with a plan B if they do not land Dwight Howard. After a successful meeting with the free agent, the Mavericks are now courting other players to either play alongside Howard or make up for the loss of the center. Dallas cleared a lot of cap space to make room for Howard, but if he is not an option then free agent Andrew Bynum could be the replacement.
According to Bynum's agent David Lee, the Mavericks are one of several teams to express interest in the big man. Bynum missed all of last season due to bad knees and after rehabbing from a recent surgery, the center is reportedly ready to hit the court again. Before the Mavericks take a serious look at signing Bynum, they will have their medical staff take a look at him to see just how ready he is to play.
The 76ers learned the hard way that Bynum can be a big financial risk to take on. His health will be the biggest factor in what kind of contract Bynum receives from any team. When at full strength, the center is talented. In 2011-12, he averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. However, a year of no basketball makes him a risk.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Bynum is refusing to work out for any team interested in him. His size and resume could command big bucks from a team. Yet, in the past six seasons, he has yet to play a full schedule. This is the main reason why Philadelphia let him go and why multiple teams are passing on him.
The Mavericks only see Bynum as a plan B at best. Outside of Bynum, they have reached out to Andre Iguodala who could be a nice piece to the Mavericks' puzzle. He would likely sign a contract well below max value, allowing the team to a get a few other quality players alongside him. The All-Star is likely higher on the list than Bynum is. Iguodala is a proven ballhandler, who averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
Iguodala is not a top alternative in exchange for Howard, but he is talented enough to help. If Howard is not an option, Dallas sets their sights on signing two or three other free agents to work within the nucleus of Dirk Nowitzki. The star of Dallas will see his contract expire next season and is expected to re-sign at a lesser price, freeing up cap space to sign a max-contract player in 2014.
