2016 NBA Trade Rumors: Dirk Nowitzki Doesn’t Want Dwight Howard To Join The Mavs

May 13, 2016 03:04 PM EDT

With Dwight Howard expected to hit the free agency market, various rumors about where the Houston Rockets center might end up in have emerged. But for Dirk Nowitzki, he believes his team should not pursue signing Howard.

For Nowitzki, the current power forward for the Dallas Mavericks, the team will benefit more from signing a player other than Howard. According to him, the Rockets player doesn't have the skills to provide him with the right kind of assistance that he needs on the court, Sportsrageous reported.

And, if it were up to him, Nowitzki would prefer the Mavs to get Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat instead.

This is probably the first time that Nowitzki has some strong words to say regarding what the Mavs wants to do with its roster. Apparently, it seems the power forward wants to be with a team of his choice since he is nearing the end of his NBA career.

This can be a problem, however, for the Dallas franchise since the center is one of the positions that the Mavs want to develop before heading into the upcoming season.

But, Nowitzki is not alone in his opinion about Howard on the team. Sports experts too think that he is not the best prospect for the Mavs.

"Dirk doesn't want Dwight Howard coming here," Matt Mosley, the co-host of the ESPN radio program "The Afternoon Show with Cowloshaw and Mosley" said according to Dallas News.

"This team needs a rim protector," he added. "But Howard isn't someone you can build around at this point in his career. You make your best pitch to KD, but that won't go anywhere."

Of course, it is too early to say at this point that the Mavs will consider Nowtizki's point against Howard. There's also a chance that Howard could sign with a different NBA team.

But as noted by CBS Sports, Nowitzki might also benefit from having Howard as a teammate since the latter tends to draw double team strategies from opposing players. This could then free up Nowitzki or other the other shooters of the team on the court.