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The Dallas Mavericks want Dwight Howard. This isn't a secret. They would also like to get Chris Paul, but that one seems a little bit less likely. When you look at their cap situation, they'll have to do some fancy maneuvering in order to create the salary cap space that they want to have. This has led to some rumors about the Mavericks possibly trading the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Reports out of Dallas indicate that the Mavs want to get rid of the $1.6 cap hold that the 13th pick carries, according to ESPN.com.
"Multiple sources have told ESPN.com's Chad Ford the Mavs are likely to shop the pick in hopes of creating the cap space necessary to make a run at Dwight Howard in free agency."
Now, I have no idea what it would take to get the 13th pick in the draft. But Chris Grant has been known to want to stockpile draft picks and there have been some indications that he would like another lottery pick in this draft. I'm not exactly sure why he wants another first round pick, but it seems like he does. If the Mavs are serious about trading the 13th pick without taking on more salary, the Cavs could probably be a logical trade partner. The Cavaliers can offer the 31st and 33rd picks in the draft and since those are right at the beginning of the 2nd round, they carry no cap hold or guaranteed contract. That could be appealing for the Mavs trying to clear all the cap space that they can.
Similarly, the Mavericks currently have Shawn Marion on the books for about $9.3 million next season. We know that Dallas thinks very highly of Marion, but if they want to get rid of his contract, that is something that the Cavaliers could handle as well. He'd fill a void at small forward and provide some much needed defense. Again, I have absolutely no idea if the Mavs actually want to trade Marion and suspect they might want a future first round pick in exchange for him if they do. Furthermore, since Marion is an expiring contract and still provides some worthwhile basketball contributions, there's likely to be several teams willing to take him off the Mavs' hands. So try not to go overboard with the Marion fantasies, but the 13th pick is certainly in play. If the two 2nd rounders aren't enough, would you trade the future Sacramento Kings' pick for the 13th pick in what is considered a fairly weak draft? I'm not so sure but every indication points to the Mavs moving this pick at some point before the June 27th draft.