Now that Dwight Howard has decided to sign with the Houston Rockets, the remaining teams in the race have steadily made moves to pick up the pieces and complete their rosters. In order to fill the needed center position, the Mavericks are now pursuing the other big name in the game. Read more after the jump.
The Mavs will proceed with caution due to the knee condition that caused the 7-foot, 285-pound Bynum to miss all of his lone season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the sources said.
The evaluation process of the 25-year-old Bynum’s problematic knees will be “exhaustive,” according to the sources.
The Mavs consider their medical staff, headlined by Team USA athletic trainer Casey Smith and Dr. T.O. Souryal, to be the best in the league. The medical staff, which played a significant role in getting Tyson Chandler s career back on track after two injury-riddled seasons, could be a recruiting asset in the pursuit of Bynum.
Bynum, 25, is the one potential dominant force who is still available in free agency. He averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks during his All-Star campaign for the Lakers in 2011-12.
They could offer Bynum up to a four-year, $45 million deal. The Mavs could also minimize their risk with Bynum by insisting on language in the contract that would protect the team if the big man’s bad knees were to keep him off the court.
