As members of three different teams, Deron Williams, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Howard all took the floor Sunday night for the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. The next time all three are playing in the same game it could be as teammates.
If Howard is not traded by the March 15 deadline, there's a realistic chance that the Orlando Magic center will be wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey during the 2012-2013 campaign.
Howard can opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent. Williams will also be a free agent, giving the two superstars an opportunity to team up with Nowitzki in Dallas.
If Howard's goal is to win a championship, signing with the defending NBA champs is his best opportunity, according to Brian Schmitz, the Magic beat writer for the Orlando Sentinel.
"Howard has the defending champion Mavs on his list because owner Mark Cuban respects his players' input – an issue Dwight has in Orlando with GM Otis Smith – and treats them like kings," Schmitz wrote Sunday. "Cuban can make some moves to bring in Williams, a Dallas native, and Dwight.
"Assembling a team of Howard, Williams and another all-star, Dirk Nowitzki, could rival Miami's Big Three. Nowitzki started the season slowly and out of shape, but is back in form. The Mavs would have the game's best defensive player in Howard, a scorer in Williams and a closer in Nowitzki.
"Nowitzki has a few good seasons left at 33, but the Mavs could see more titles in their future with a Williams-Howard pairing."
The Lakers, Nets and Knicks were the teams rumored to have interest in making a swap for Howard before he has a chance to reach free agency. But all of those offers have lost momentum in the last month.
John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com tweeted Sunday that a "very reliable source" told him that Nets officials "seriously doubt" that Orlando will move Howard before the trade deadline.
And that's good news for a Mavericks franchise that passed on giving Tyson Chandler a contract because it was focused on clearing cap space for a possible summer of blockbuster additions.
"It all depends on how Howard wants his career to be defined," Schmitz added after breaking down each scenario. "If he wants to win titles, I say his best move is to find a way to Dallas should Williams also head to Texas."
AOL FanHouse Columnist David Whitley agrees with Schmitz. Whitley wrote Monday that Howard should want to go to Dallas because "the 26-year-old says his big goal in life is to win a championship while he's still young. Howard holds all the cards to make that happen.
"If he doesn't end up in Dallas, it was all a bluff."
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Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
