During the 2014 NBA offseason, the Houston Rockets were desperate to make a move. Coming off a disappointing defeat in the first round thanks to Damian Lillard’s famous buzzer beater, Daryl Morey and the front office were looking to upgrade the roster. They desperately wanted a star power forward to pair with James Harden and Dwight Howard, but there weren’t many available.
In those days, the best power forwards were LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, and...Dirk Nowitzki. Of those four, Nowitzki and Bosh were free agents after the 2014 season. Houston went after both of them pretty hard, offering each of them max contracts.