NBA Rumors: Why Dallas Mavericks Must Win Dwight Howard Sweepstakes

The Dallas Mavericks are still hoping to get Dwight Howard, and for their future, they need to bring him in.

According to Ric Bucher, of ESPN, the Mavericks are among the three teams still in the running for Howard, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets.

Assuming they are not dealt before the trade deadline, Chad Ford believes that Deron Williams will be "in Dallas next year wearing a Mavs uniform. Not out of the question that Dwight Howard will be in Big D too."

To further develop these rumors, Marc Stein said that "lots of people around the league think [Howard's move to Dallas] is possible if not probable."

While these are simply rumors, the Mavs better hope they're true.

Dirk Nowitzki finally got over the hump last year, as he led the Mavericks to an NBA championship. Now, Mark Cuban needs to bring in Howard if he wants to contend for a title past this year.

The superstar is getting older, and he'll have a tough time bringing last year's magic back. Nowitzki played fantastic basketball during last year's playoffs, but that probably won't happen again.

Every team (outside of the 2004 Detroit Pistons) that has won an NBA championship in the last 30 years has had some sort of superstar. Soon enough, Nowitzki won't be that star.

As a result, the Mavericks need to go get Howard while they can.

He would also be a great fit on the Mavs.

Tyson Chandler was fantastic in the middle during last year's run, and Howard is a significant upgrade from Chandler. He would clog up the middle, while doing much more offensively.

As a center, it's tough to be big in the clutch. Luckily, the Mavericks have Nowitzki to take over when it matters most. Howard can be the star for 45 minutes, and then Nowitzki could take over, even if he isn't the player he once was.

The Mavs have shooters and players who could play off Howard. If Mark Cuban brought him in, Howard would fit right in.

The Mavericks also need to get younger.

Seven of the top eight guys in the Mavericks rotation are 32 or older. The only one younger than 32 is Delonte West.

Within the next couple of years, these guys will be out of the NBA. Rather than start from scratch, the Mavs could simply bring in Howard.

They would get younger on the fly. Meanwhile, they could compete the entire time, without having to bottom out and rebuild.

The move wouldn't happen until the summer, but bringing in Howard makes a ton of sense for Cuban and the Mavericks.

Howard could be their new superstar, he would fit right in and he would help the Mavs transition, while getting younger.

If the Mavericks don't sign Howard, they will regret it. Because if they don't, they're going to take a pretty large step back.

In fact, if the Mavs don't win the Howard sweepstakes, they will suddenly be at the bottom of the Western Conference within five years.