The Dallas Mavericks have several needs to address during NBA free agency this summer. Re-signing Dirk Nowitzki to a short-term deal is priority No. 1, and there's a chance they bring back Deron Williams, Chandler Parsons, or both.
Regardless of who the Mavs sign to start at the 1 and the 3, the position most fans have their eye on is the 5. Sure, the team could bring back fan-favorite Zaza Pachulia on a bargain deal, but after missing out on DeAndre Jordan in last offseason's sleepover debacle, don't sleep on Mark Cuban doing everything in his power to lock up one of the marquee centers on the market.
3) Dwight Howard
Howard's production has been on the decline since he left the Orlando Magic back in 2012, and he's missed a lot of time with injuries as well. His reputation for being a locker-room cancer doesn't help his cause either, particularly when a high-character player like Dirk Nowitzki has a say in the matter. Still, while he's not the generational talent he once was, but he's still one of the top centers in the league and could be had on the cheap given the aforementioned issues.
2) Hassan Whiteside
While his knee injury suffered in the playoffs is a bit concerning, Whiteside will be the prized unrestricted center on the market given his age (26) and upside. He averaged a meaty double-double this year with the Heat, raising his scoring (14.2), rebounding (11.8) and blocks (3.7) per game while playing in his first full season (72 games). The NBA's scariest paint protector would be an ideal big to pair with Dirk in the twilight of his career.
1) Al Horford
As tempting as Whiteside may be, Horford is the more proven commidity and is still in the middle of his prime at age 29. More importantly, he doesn't carry any of the off-court concerns of the two men preceding him on this list, but can probably be had at a similar price tag. There's no reason to think that Horford, the big man who has been tied to the Mavs in the most rumor reports, won't be the team's No. 1 target of any player in free agency.